The Hunger Games: New Panem
by MoreThanAPieceInTheirGames12
Summary: The rebellion was lost and the Hunger Games are back; even more cruel and vicious than before. Katniss and Peeta are living in the seam and the Capitol take its revenge out on Danica, Peeta and Katniss's 15 year old daughter. Will this broken family ever begin to heal? Read and find out. I dare you. Rated T just in case.
1. Tears and Fear

_My name is Danica Mellark. I am 15 years old. My mother is Katniss and my father is Peeta. I have a 12 year old brother named Rye. Today is the reaping. Effie Trinket has called my name. I am going into the arena. I knew this day was coming. Mother warned me of it. I must be brave for my family. They will be watching._

I swallow my tears. They cannot escape my eyes as I walk to this stage before me.

I knew this day would soon become reality. I just didn't know when. When the districts lost the rebellion, it was decreed that the Hunger Games would continue, more brutal than ever. District 13 must also participate. Every year, as punishment for the breaking of the Treason Treaty, three people from each district, between the ages of 12 and 18 would be chosen to be locked in an outdoor arena to fight to the death. The last two remaining will crowned victor, however, they must be from separate districts and of the same gender. Otherwise, only one can survive. The games are no longer a form of entertainment. There is no special treatment of the tributes, not fancy clothes or interviews. Just the games. We get thrown into the arena as we are, starving and weak. No training, no mentors. You either have the wits to survive or you die. There are no grantees of the tributes gender. Everyone's name, boy or girl, is thrown in the reaping ball together. There could be all girls, one boy and two girls, all boys or one girl and two boys. In total, 39 tributes are reaped and 37 will not come out alive. Sometimes, even 38 will lose their lives fighting for no reason at all. I have sat in front of the old television in our living room year after year when only one person would survive to return to their families. Uncertainty is how the Capitol keeps us in control. It's sad for the districts become so much of our population was wiped out in the bombings and wars. You are more likely to know the person being reaped because there are so few of us to begin with. Because of my parent's roles in the rebellion, they knew that the Capitol would rig the drawings so that one of their children would be reaped. As their own personal punishment for the damage they caused. What a show it would be for the daughter of the Mockingjay to be a tribute? Well, the day has arrived. I have heard the stories of how Mother volunteered for Aunt Prim, who was sadly killed in the war. The odds are not in my favor of someone standing up to take my place. That is forbidden. No one volunteers. If you are reaped, you have no means of escape.

Despite my heart almost beating out of my chest, I take deep breaths as the peacekeeper approaches. Dressed in his white suit and helmet, he finds me in the cluster of other 15 year olds. His hand grips my arm pulling me into the clear path separating the boys and the girls. I notice that every eye is on me. Everyone knows my name. Everyone knows my parent's story. Except for me. I know some things about how they won the Hunger Games twice, and started a rebellion. But they will not tell me what happened after that. What happened to them after the rebellion was lost and Panem continued to be a dark, sorrowful place.

I can feel the sorrow and pity the people of District 12 feel for me, for my family. No unhappy whispers flood the air. The Capitol stopped that all together. There's no talking during a reaping. It is too big of a risk of planning and spreading of discontent. I walk in silence at a steadily pace, staring at particularly nothing in front of me. I keep my eyes straight, my head high. My fists are clenched at my sides. I can feel two peacekeepers as they tread right behind me, hands placed on my back to make sure I don't try to make a run for it. I've seen that happen. You know what happens to them? They get a bullet in the head. As I near the stage, I look at my future. Effie Trinket, known as a sad depressed woman, stares at me, tears threatening to overcome her. She was once beautiful, bright and bubbly, not having a care in the world. Or so I am told. My parents are the only surviving tributes from District 12. They had a mentor, Haymitch Abernathy who had won the Quarter Quell. But he was executed shortly after the war on conspiracy charges. Why didn't they kill my parents? Simply because they wanted them to live, to suffer and see their children reaped and killed. The Capitol wanted them to see the aftermath of such violence, and be examples of how even the strongest cannot outsmart the Capitol. They stand there beside Effie. My father cries as my mother screams. She has never been one to care much about rules, so she doesn't even stop herself when she begins to cry, "No!" She tries to rush towards me, but three peacekeepers push her against the wall behind them and pin her there as she thrashes. This earns her a slap in the face from one of the men restraining her. She spits in one of their faces, and she gets taken away, probably to be beaten bloody. No, the odds are not in my favor today.

I feel a tear begin to slide down my cheek at this sight. No this will not do. I have to be brave. Even if my parents are not. I quickly wipe it away with one swipe of the back of my hand. I reach the steps and two more peacekeepers are there to retrieve me. As they grab my arms, they pull me up on stage. I expect them to restrain me, hold me off to the side. However, they release me and I give one a questioning look. His cold expression remains as his deep, almost growling voice says, "Run to Daddy, little girl."

It takes everything inside of me to not slap him.

I calmly walk and stand by my father's side. I look at him, his puffy blue eyes, blonde and grey hair combed neatly over to the left side. He's wearing that hideous white shirt with blue stripes. But I am thankful he chose today to wear it. It will help me on the dark train ride to the Capitol. The lines on his face tell stories of the sadness and despair he experienced over the years. The corners of his mouth now point down as he tries to hold it together for his daughter. I send him a message with my eyes; _It will be alright, Dad. I'll come home. _He nods, almost as if he read my thoughts. He lifts one hand, placing it on my shoulder pulling me in close. He plants a kiss on the top of my dark brown hair that mother had braided so delicately this morning down my back. She worked so slowly, almost as if she were trying to remember what my hair looked like, how it smelled; because she knew that it was only a matter of time before it would be her last chance to style it.

This is when I look over for the first time at one of my fellow tributes. I had forgotten she was even up here. She had been called just before I. It's Meybell Garson. She's a year older than me; awfully mean and unpleasant. She has sleek red hair and those same blue eyes as my father. Freckles cover her entire face and she's rather pale compared to me. She sticks out like a sore thumb with the rest of us, but the story is that her family got mixed up with the other refugees in 13 and was sent to District 12 instead of District 5 from where they had came. However, the Capitol had better things to do than worry about minor mix-ups like that. So they were forced to stay. Her family is used to different traditions and ways of thinking than ours so maybe that's why no one really likes her. No one really associates with me either, though. They are afraid that any relation to me would cause harm to themselves and their own families. The Capitol would punish them to get to me and my family, or punish them just because they can. Either way, it is safer to stay away from the Mockingjay family. But they still continue to feel sorrow for us from afar. This is one of the main reason's my father's bakery business failed. Everyone was afraid to buy his bread. They only feel safe eating the food provided by the Capitol, ironically. Meybell looks at me from the corner of her eye, then looks away shaking her head to the crowd. Like this is all _my _fault. Okay, technically it is. Well, my parents fault anyway. Still, it's not our fault that the Capitol is so cruel and vicious to begin with.

Since I am the second to be picked, there is one more person to be reaped. Now that I have been chosen, I can now relax for Rye. I know that he will be safe for another year. Hopefully, after my reaping, we will be treated like everyone else. The Capitol will have its revenge on my family and they will feel less blood thirsty against us. Maybe after I have competed, they will be satisfied enough to let us live our miserable lives like everyone else in District 12. Meaning Rye would be less likely to end up in the spot I am in now. I finally spot Rye, way in the back with the rest of the 12 year olds. He is crying abundantly, his blonde curls are flying furiously in the wind. I can see one of the boys beside him risk comforting him, even though is a quick pat on the back. Still, it's a step forward from before. I am not listening as Effie continues with the program, reaching into the glass ball for the third time. I just keep my eyes locked on him, urging him to be strong. Please be strong.

"Rye…Mellark," Effie is crying now. I don't know why. Rye and I have only ever seen the woman on reaping days. Never have I spoke to her. So her emotional distress is confusing to me. She doesn't know us, we mean nothing to her. Do we?

Wait, what?

Suddenly my heart stops. I seriously believe it stops. My breath is becoming quick and painful and suddenly my vision blurs a little. I think I am hyperventilating. No. No no no. She didn't just call Rye did she? No she couldn't have. I must have heard wrong. The tributes can't be brother and sister can they? There's a rule against that isn't there? I look to my father, who now sheds no more tears. His eyes are wide with disbelief, staring at Rye from the stage we stand on now. The alarm in them are so real and intense. Did he mishear Effie as well? He must have.

My fear however, is confirmed as I see him. His face drained of blood, eyes wide with the same terror my father is showing now. He looks around, almost like he's questioning, _Did they just call my name? Is this real? _

Sometimes when we were little, mother would play a game with father. We didn't understand why they played it. But I know that it calmed him down when he had an episode. He would go into bouts of rage and throw things around the house, telling mother to get away from him. Sometimes he called her a mutt. Whatever that is. She told us the episodes are from things he experienced during the war and the games. She never went into detail. I had always just accepted that explanation and she seemed thankful I didn't ask more questions. Whenever these episodes would occurs, I would just take Rye by the hand and lead him to his room. We would stay there and play with toys until mother would come knock on the door telling us that Daddy was okay now and that he wants us to wash up for super.

One night, Rye woke up screaming from a bad dream. Our rooms are right across the hall from each other and I would be the first to reach him. He had been having several nightmares at the time because it was when I had just turned 12. It was the first year I was eligible for the games. I know where he gets it from. Our mother is notorious for nightmares that wake up everyone in the house. I would rush to Rye's side, stroking his blonde hair and he would cry and tell me about the dream. Dreams of me dying in the games, dreams of mother and father blaming him for my death, dreams of him being reaped himself.

"They seem so real, Danica," he would whimper.

That's when I got the idea to begin playing the game with Rye that mother uses with father to calm him down. If is helps him sort through what real and a lie, maybe Rye can benefit from it as well.

"Let's play a game," I said, "You tell me about something that happened in one of your dreams. I will tell you if it is real or not real."

"Like the games Mommy plays with Daddy?"

"Exactly," I answer, "So tell me about it."

"You were reaped for the games. Real or not real?"

"Not real. I wasn't picked at the reaping yesterday."

"Mommy and Daddy would blame me if you were picked. Real or not real?"

"Not real. Even if I was picked, it wouldn't have been your fault."

"You love me, real or not real?"

"Unfortunately, I'm stuck with you as my little brother. So, real."

I earn the giggle out of him that I was hoping for.

I would do anything for him to wake up from this nightmare now. To be able to tell him it's just a dream, its not real. He stands there, the peacekeepers waiting impatiently outside of the roped off area. Everyone is watching him, waiting to see what he will do next. He too is breathing heavily, looking like he is on the verge of passing out. Effie repeats his name, telling him to make his way to the stage in between sobs. I watch him as he walks to the peacekeeper who angrily grabs his arm and pushes him towards the stage. His terror is slowing his pace and when he walks too slowly for their taste, they push him again, harder. He falls to the ground, dirt particles flying in the beams of sunlight. I see a small red dot on his chin where a scratch has began to bleed. I cannot stop the screams that come from my body. I begin to cry, screaming my head off as I make my disapproval known.

"No! Leave him alone! Take me, just leave him alone!" I prepare myself to jump right off the stage, run to my baby brother and console his pain. I am right on the edge as a pair of arms wraps around my waist and pull my back. They belong to my father. I am kicking and screaming now. This can't be happening! They were only supposed to reap me! Not Rye! They were supposed to get their revenge through sending me to games. Just me. Isn't that enough? Wouldn't that be enough punishment for just one of my parent's children to be sent to death? This isn't fair. My father whispers in my ear, "Stop it Danica, calm down." I don't listen. I continue to fight and scream which only causes Effie to cry more. I expect them to kick and hit him because knowing Rye, he will curl into a ball in the dirt and cry. I have to get to him, to protect him. Cover his body with mine to soften the blows. Why won't my father let me go? And where the hell is my mother? So much for being brave.

I am expecting them kill him, beat him to death because he won't get up. He's so sensitive. However, Rye does something that is both terrifying and calming at the same time. He gently gets to his feet, brushes the dirt from his shirt and wipes his chin of the blood. He straightens his shirt and fixes his hair before he begins to walk, ever so peacefully. As if it is a surrender. This is what terrifies me. What is he thinking? Why is he accepting death so easily? He isn't planning on giving his own life so I can come home is he? I can read him like an open book. Well two bad. I'll fight him every inch of the way. I will keep _him_ alive, so _he_ can come home. If one of us should come home, it should be Rye. He's younger and so much smarter than I am. I couldn't live with myself with I came home without him. No, I will protect him until my last breath. Before, I had believed I had a chance. I believed that perhaps I had the common sense, the wits, and the survival skills to make it out of their alive. That I might possibly get to come home when this whole thing is over. However, now I am accepting that I must protect Rye, keep him safe and send him home alive. Accepting that I must make sure he is fed, that he stays warm and stays safely away from the careers. I am accepting that I am going to die.

While lost in these thoughts, Rye has had time to ascend up the steps and take his place beside Father and I. I look at him, tears and fear in my eyes. His face is sorrowful, his eyes glisten in the sunlight, full of tears as he mouths four simple words.

"Real or not real?"

After I pause, I mouth back.

"Real"


	2. Mockingjay Pin

**Hey guys. Changed the ending a little and couple other things. Just trying to make it better. :) let me know what u think!**

**Love, Staci**

* * *

The Justice Building is just as dark and creepy as I have been told. No light illuminates the halls. The walls are dark red, baring a spine tingling resemblance to the color of blood. I wonder, is that what they used as paint? The blood of those who rebelled against the Capitol? The floor is tiled, white and black diamonds pattern the floors bellow us. Peacekeepers line the hall we walk in, like we have the option of running away now. Where would we go? I have heard the stories told at school by my classmates, stories of how once you entered the Justice Building, you never returned. Supposedly it is haunted by the ghosts of those lost during the rebellion bombings. Unexplained sounds that come from the building at night as citizens walk by are to blame. Sounds of screams and pleading. Maybe it's just a tall tale, figments of their imaginations. But it wouldn't surprise me if it were true. I wonder if Aunt Prim haunts these very halls herself. This sends a shudder through my body and I quickly shake my mind of these thoughts. Ahead of us, at the very end of the hall is a room, the stainless steel door shut tight. I wonder why they chose such a door. Is it supposed to keep people out? Keep people in? What do they do behind that door? Torture people? Kill them? I suddenly become afraid for our lives as the distance between us and the door lessens. I hold Ryes right hand with mine, my left arm around his surprisingly strong shoulders. He has never been a small boy. He is strong just like our father. He spends a lot of time hauling heavy bags of flour around while they bake. They tense at the sight of this door. He too senses that something is wrong. Meybell is behind us, the terror registers on her face as well. She begins to back away slowly, retreating to the door we entered the Justice building in when three peacekeepers break their formation from the wall and grip both of her arms. They begin to push her towards the door, and she begins to panic. Looking around furiously, she pleads with them.

"No! Please! Don't make me go in there! Please!" she cries.

Rye begins to panic beside me, breathing heavily again and tears threaten to spill over. I take him by the shoulders; look him straight in the eye.

"We're going to be fine, Rye. I promise. I won't let anything happen to you."

He too has heard the stories.

With the peacekeepers pressuring us to continue, to enter the room that could become our morgue, we walk again. Meybell is crying hysterically and Rye begins to whimper. I must admit, while I am the stronger of these two at the moment, I too am beginning to silently cry. My heart beats at an unhealthy rate. I know that I am either going to walk into a prison cell to be held until sending me to my death in the games, or I am going to die before the games even begin. Either way I have to stay with Rye as long as I can, I have to take care of him until I breathe my dying breath. We reach the door and as I place my hand on the handle, I notice how unusually cold it is. Ice cold in fact. Are they putting us in a freaking meat locker? I really don't know what to expect at this point.

"Open it, girl!" a peacekeeper barks from behind.

I swallow hard and open the door. I am surprised to find only a small, dark, chamber. Empty of any furnishings. There are no windows, no sunlight. Only the light from a small 60 watt bulb that hangs from the center of the ceiling. They violently force us into the small room. Unsure and what they will do next, I instinctively grab Rye and pull him behind me; protecting him with my body. I am sure they will beat us, torture us in some fashion. But they simply shut the door quickly behind them and left us guessing and confused. More uncertainty. Meybell lunges for the door, shaking the handle violently while shouting obscenities at the peacekeepers. But it's no use. It's locked from the outside and we are trapped. I pull Rye close to me, just as my father did and kiss his blonde curls as he cries into my dress. Once Meybell realizes that all hope is lost, she starts to sob, beats her fists on the door making a terrible clanking noise. She moves away from the door, running her hands through her hair. She plants her back against the wall and slides down into a squat, burying her face in her hands. I consider consoling her, comforting her as the sobs rack her shaking frame. But then I remember, in 48 hours, she'll be trying to kill me and my little brother. Coming to slit our throats with knifes and swords. So I let her cry. I just sit down myself on the cold hard floor and Rye places his head in my lap while I stroke his hair. Everyone is crying, even me. We cry and cry until eventually we can't cry anymore. We sit in silence as we await our fates. We must sit there for an hour before the door opens. I expect a peacekeeper, coming to destroy the remains of our broken beings. But the face I see sends a ray of light into my soul. I see my Mother, eyes red from crying hysterically. A large cut spreads down the side of her left cheek and a bruise blackens the skin around her eye. She rushes in to us, the door slamming ever so loudly making us all jump. I stand and run to her, burying my face into her dress as for the first time, I allow my self to really let it out. I am crying as shaking and begging her to take all of this away. Make it stop. But I know she can't. She grabs my face, starring into my eyes as she talks ever so calmly.

"Listen to me, when the gong rings, you get the hell out of there, you hear me? Do not go for the Cornucopia. It is just a sure way of getting yourself killed. Take your brother and run. Run and put as much distance between you and the Cornucopia as you can. Find water. Understand?"

I nod. She turns to my brother now, squatting down so that they are on the same level.

"You listen to your sister. Do what she tells you and stay away from the careers. You both know how to climb trees, so find a tall tree and camp there for the night. Stay out of sight and out of reach of the other tributes."

"I will," he whispers.

Suddenly a peacekeeper whips the door open, ordering Mother out. She takes a deep breath and the tears fall from her eyes. She takes us both into her arms, hugging us tightly.

"I love you. I love you both!" she says. Then the peacekeeper drags her out as she is pleading with him for more time. Just a couple more minutes. She is ushered out and the door slams shut. I am defiantly at risk of breaking down now. Before I have the chance, the door is opened again, and this time, my father walks to join us. However, no apologies, no words of advice escape his lips. He simply takes us in and holds us like the two scared little kids that we are.

"I love you, Daddy." I whisper, crying into his ugly striped shirt.

"I love you too, sweetheart." He says, "I love you both. More than you will ever know. Don't you worry about your mother and I. We'll be fine."

He hands us both a small pouch of cookies to take with us, when the hunger begins to set in. He knows what its like to starve in the games. The pain and the suffering you endure from your empty stomach can drive a person crazy. I open the small pouch to find 10 small cookies, each decorated by my father's artful hand with small purple flowers. He knows that these won't last long, not in the arena. However, if it can increase our chances of survival, it's worth a shot.

"Oh, one more thing," Father reaches into his pocket and pulls out some kind of gold ring with a bird in it. He holds it out and it is now that I realize what it is. It's the pin my mother is so famous for. The bird is a Mockingjay. I stare it with wonder. I have never seen it before in my life.

"They let you take one token with you from your district. It's for good luck. Wear this, and nothing bad can happen to you. I promise."

"Thank you," I say as he pins the Mockingjay to my dress.

A peacekeeper suddenly opens the door, ordering my father out the same way he ordered out my mother. No, I don't want him to leave. Not yet! I lunge forward, wrapping my arms around his waist.

"No, don't leave me!" I cry.

"Listen to me, sweetheart. You have to be brave. You two have to take care of each other. I love you and don't ever forget that." He kisses my forehead as I look up at him, "I have to go now." He released me and places a lingering kiss in Rye's hair before he calmly turns, walks out of the door and shuts it behind him.

No visitors come for Meybell. I don't know why they wouldn't. She has a large family that would want to say goodbye. Then I wonder, maybe we were the only ones who were allowed visits. Because of whom we are. As some kind of sick and twisted form of punishment for the star-crossed lovers to see their children locked in a cell like criminals. Who knows? There's no end to the Capitol's cruelty. We wait for over another hour before peacekeepers show up again. They enter the room with us, and I again fear that they might cause harm to Rye. However, they only come to tell us that train has arrived and it is time to leave for the Capitol. They herd us out of the cell like cattle, telling us to keep moving, or to move faster. I continue to hold Rye's hand, never releasing it for fear of being separated from him. We reach a glass door that leads outside to the train tracks behind the Justice Building. Once we are outside I can see the sleek black train, its body shinny and new. From the outside it looks as though it were a train fit for a king. However, this is Panem and I cannot help but wonder what horrors await me inside. The train emits a quiet hum as its engines revolve. It's so quiet, so different from the loud steam engines of the coal trains that leave District 12. This is high-tech, and super scary.

I do not even notice Effie join us from inside the building. When I look to my left, with Rye to my right, there she is. She stares at the train with the same dread that we do. I finally get to see this woman up-close. She's very pale, her face covered with a white powder. Her hair is a light grey and she wears a full black suit. The only makeup that I can see is the black eye liner that is now smeared down her face from her tears. It obvious that she has been crying over today's events. Why does this woman care about us so much? Isn't she the one who my parents off to their deaths as well? Is she crying for Meybell as well? I almost forget that Meybell is behind us until I hear her whimper. She is obviously sure that she is going to die. To be honest, I am pretty sure I will too. I have to get Rye home. The only way I can do that, is die myself. I have to do my best to at least get him in the top 8. Then I know that if I were to die after so many are gone, his chances will have increased surmountably. After that, all he would have to do is hide in the trees until he was the last one alive. Mother has taught us all about edible and non-edible plants. Those would surely sustain him until then. He's a smart kid. I know he will figure it out. Effie suddenly snaps me from my world of thought.

"Well, let's board the train, shall we?" she says with a shaky breath as she begins to walk to the train, which seems to remind me of a snake. Hmh, fits President Snow's persona perfectly now that I think about it. We begin to file in behind her, first Rye, then I with my hands griping Rye's shoulders as we walk. Meybell panics again and tries to run. I am expecting to hear the shot as the bullet is lodged into her brain. See her collapse to the ground in blood. However, 4 peacekeepers catch her, and one simply throws her over his shoulder. She's screaming and crying, thrashing violently in his arms.

"No, I won't go! Just kill me now! Please!"

I know they won't be so kind as to put an end to any of our sufferings. The peacekeeper carries her on board behind us and once we are inside, he takes her down a long dark hall and locks her one of the rooms. She beats on the door, screaming like a mad woman for a long time. She eventually grows tired and I can hear her quiet sobs from the sitting room we are now in. We sit for over 20 minutes as we wait for the train to take us to the Capitol. Rye and I share a loveseat while Effie sits in a small chair across from us. She is no longer crying. She just stares down at her intertwined hands with a sad look on her face. Rye is leaning against me while I comfort him by stroking his hair. He is exhausted from crying and just sits in silence now, starring into nothing. We stay like this for a while when suddenly to train jolts and we take off, the images outside of the tiny window blurring with the speed. We must be going terribly fast. I become worried of us crashing at such an unsafe speed. Effie sees my starring out of the window, and almost as if reading my thoughts, she says, "We're going over 250 miles per hour. But it's perfectly safe."

I hate her Capitol accent.

"Well, the Capitol is surely worried about our safety, aren't they?" I say.

This shuts her up.

She nods and rises from the chair and leaves the room. I already hate that woman. She's sending us to our deaths and she has the nerve to talk about our safety? This makes my blood boil. How can this woman live with herself? How can anyone in the Capitol live with themselves? Do they have no feelings at all? I guess not, or there would be no Hunger Games to begin with. Suddenly, something catches my eye. I look to the chair Effie was sitting in and see a small white envelope that is thick with its contents. She must have left it there by accident. I try to decide if I should open it. However, I eventually decide that since "everything is at my disposal", it includes this. I rise up and lay Rye against the arm of the loveseat and put a pillow under his head. Careful not to disturb him, I quietly get up and walk to the chair, taking the envelope in my hands. It is rather heavy and appears to have several papers in it. When I open it, there aren't papers inside. It is filled with almost a hundred pictures. All of my mother and father when they were in the games. I sit in the chair that the pictures were in and look through them, taking each one in carefully with my eyes. I had seen pictures of my parents like this before, but I have never seen these pictures before. Everyone looked so happy, except of course my parents. Then I remember how before the rebellion, the games were a sporting event. They were treated like entertainment.

The envelope contains pictures of mother and father, dressed in elegant clothes, almost like they were celebrities. Mother's makeup was beautifully simple and father looked very handsome in beautiful suits. There are pictures of Effie with whom I suppose was Haymitch, Effie and mother, Effie and father, Haymitch and Mother and one of them all together. Then there was a photo of a man and mother, dressed in a black outfit and seemed so normal compared to the other Capitol people. The only change made to his appearance was the gold eyeliner on his top eyelids. I am taken back by how average he looks, yet fabulous at the same time. This is the only picture of my mother that I have seen so far where she is genuinely smiling. Behind this picture is a note, folded carefully and taped to the back. I remove it, and when I open it up, I am surprised at what I read.

_I am still betting on you, Mockingjay. Love Cinna_

Cinna. That was my mom's stylist. I remember the dresses in their closet. Once she caught me looking at them, and told me that her friend Cinna designed them for her before he was killed. She told me that they were very close to each other. But how would Effie have gotten this photo? This envelope was obviously meant for my mother. Wasn't it? I look down at the pin that my father placed so carefully on my dress before he was forced to leave. I run my finger along the golden ring as a thought begins to register. _Does he mean…me?_ No. That's not possible. This was way before I was born. Besides, why would he call me Mockingjay? That's my mom. Then again, why wouldn't he just say Katniss if they were supposedly so close? It's like he's talking to whoever is wearing the pin. Maybe Effie just wants me to give it to Mother if I win the games and go home. Yes. That must be it. Well, I have bad news Effie. I am not coming home. I am going to die. So if you want these to get back to my mom, you will have to talk to Rye.

I put the photos back into the envelope and place them exactly where I found them in the chair. I take a look at Rye, sleeping so soundly for someone who was just reaped for the games. But I leave him be and begin to walk around the sitting room. I explore the drawers in the counters and look at the different paintings on the wall. They all depict some sort of battle in the rebellion. I can tell from all of the blood and suffering. I am about to move on to a small tray with crackers, when in one of the paintings, I spot a girl in a black suit with white spots under the sleeves. Her arrow is aimed directly at President Snow's heart as he stands high in a balcony. I can't help but notice the long dark braid down her back. Who is this girl? Was she some sort of warrior or something? Whoever she was, she apparently kicked ass since ten peacekeepers lie dead at her feet, all of their bodies pierced by her arrows. A sudden growl in my stomach jolts me from my deep thought and I turn to the tray of crackers. They are much better than the crackers and even the bread back in District 12. The bread there is brown and flat. It hardly has any taste and even the pigs turn it down sometimes. Father has ways of improving it, finding ways to add flavor and fluff, but they are never as good as the ones that he made when he tried to start his bakery. Since no one would buy his bread, we didn't have the money to continue to buy the fancy ingredients and we were forced to return to the pitiful rations we received from the Capitol. However, these crackers take me back to those days. They are delicious and I wonder why we are being given something so good. They never give tributes special treatment anymore. The thought occurs again that it might have something to do with who my parents are.

After sitting beside Rye for a while, my own fatigue begins to hit. All the crying and screaming has worn me out. But I can't just leave Rye here by himself can I? There are no peacekeepers around to take him away from me. And where would they take him to anyway? But if he woke up without me, he would probably get scared again. So I decide to pick him up, (he's getting heavy these days), almost dropping him, and carry him into a one of the back rooms down the hall. I lay him on the small cot and close the door behind him. The train is terribly quiet. No more sobs come from Meybell's room. However, I know that she wants to be left alone, so I don't bother her. Effie is no where to be found, thank God. So I slip into the last empty room. It's rather small and dark like the rest of the world. A small window lets little light in, just enough for me to see a small cot, much like the one in Rye's room in the corner. I pull down the covers and I don't even bother to change clothes. The exhaustion and utter sadness hits me like a ton of bricks. Once I am wrapped tightly into the covers, I imagine that they are the arms of my father and tears begin to stream down my face. I know that I am going to die. It is the only way to save Rye. Sweet little Rye. He looks so much like our father. Father's words bounce around in my mind, "_I love you and don't ever forget that." _

"I love you too, Daddy," I whimper quietly into the pillow.


	3. Secrets of Loss

**I know this is kinda short, but i thought this would be a good place to end this one. Enjoy**

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When I wake up it, it's still dark outside. It must still be too early for the sun to rise. I look at the small digital clock on the table beside the cot that reads 3:36 AM. I must be too anxious or upset to stay asleep. But I'm so tired that it almost doesn't make sense. But when I close my eyes and try to sleep, I only toss and turn. So I finally give up and lie awake, staring into the darkness above me. I wonder if my parents are sleeping tonight. Is my mother having nightmares? Most likely. Probably screaming and crying for her babies to run away, to flee from some kind of danger. Father is probably awake, waiting for the nightmares to hit so he will be right there to comfort her when they come. Is he crying for us? I am sure he is. He had to be strong in front of us. But now that we are miles apart, he can relieve the pain he has held in. I am surprised that I have not heard Rye's cries yet. However, I am happy that for once, ironically on a Capitol train, he's getting a peaceful sleep. The clock now says 4:03 AM. It won't be long before sun is rising and we'll be entering the capitol. Whisked away by more peacekeepers and forced into an arena to die. I try to remember what my mother's advice was. Not to go to the Cornucopia, run to the woods, something about finding water. What was it that she told Rye? Something about trees? I will have to ask him when he wakes up. I begin to grow restless and I decide that maybe I can find something to do until morning. Apparently sleep isn't an option.

I get up from the cot which is probably part of the reason I can't sleeps. It's hard as a rock. My back feels immediate relief when I stand up. I stretch, and then open the door quietly. The hall is dark and no one is stirring so I make my way to the sitting room. I am a foot from the doorway when I see a soft glow coming from on of the lamps and hear someone cough. I freeze instantly in my tracks. Crap.

I am about to turn back when I a voice stops me.

"Hello, Danica dear," says Effie. She sits in a chair by the window in a pink satin robe with a purple flower pattern covering the fabric. Wow. I've never seen her wear anything other than black. This is a new side of her. Wait, did she just call me dear?

I walk into the room. Not once does she remove her eyes from the window as I cross in front of her to take a seat in the opposite chair.

"What are you looking at?" I ask.

"The stars," she replies, "Aren't they lovely?"

I take a look at them myself, and I must admit, they are pretty breathtaking.

"Yea, they are," I say, "Why are you up so late?"

"I believe I should be asking you the very same question, dear."

"Why do you keep calling me dear?"

She gives a little laugh, "Well I suppose you wouldn't remember me giving you that nickname when you were a baby."

"What?" I am at a loss for words. So many questions are entering my head at once that they fog up my mind. _What? _is the only one that manages to escape my lips.

"You were such a tiny little thing. And fussy!," she laughs, "Just like your mother."

"Wait, you knew me when I was a baby? How?"

"Your parents and I are rather close," she replies, "You mother rescued me from my captors before the fall of the districts."

"She…rescued you?" I can't believe what I am hearing.

"Yes, soon before she attempted to assassinate President Snow."

"What?" I shout.

"Shh! Do you want to wake the others?" she snaps.

"My mother…was an assassin?" I whisper.

"Oh! My dear, she was the Mockingjay. The face of the rebellion. She was a warrior and fought in battles along with the rest of District 13's army," she says.

The shock must be unmistakable on my face, because Effie soon loses the smile and her voice lowers.

"She never told you," she whispers, "Did she?"

Effie stands, pulls me to my feet and leads me to the painting I had been looking at earlier. She points to the warrior girl I had noticed earlier. Suddenly the pieces begin to fall in place. The outfit the warrior is wearing closely resembles a Mockingjay, white patches under her wings. Her bow and arrows, many of which are lodged into the peacekeepers look just like the bow that is in my mother's closet. She never used it. After the rebellion, peacekeepers were put on watch along the electrified fence to make sure no one hunted illegally. The fence was now fully electrified all day long. Any weapons of any kind were taken from the residents of District 12 and burned. So Mother had to hide her bow and it now rests in the closet with Cinna's dresses. Then I remember the long dark braid down the girl's back. Mother wore her hair like that back in the games. This warrior is my mom, Katniss Everdeen. As it all begins to sink in, Effie begins to explain.

"During the Quarter Quell, after the force field was destroyed, Katniss was rescued by District 13. However, Peeta a captured by the Capitol," she pauses.

"They tortured him, injected him with tracker jacker venom and distorted his memories of Katniss. Programming him to hate your mother, to kill her. Soon after her rescue, Katniss became the Mockingjay, the face of the rebellion. The one who encouraged and led the people into battle against President Snow. However, her grief over your father's capture became too great. So 13 sent in a rescue team to free your father. Once they got him back to 13, it became apparent that the Capitol had done permanent damage. Whenever he saw her, he was shouting about how she couldn't be trusted. Calling her a mutt," she continues.

"Wait, that what he would say when he had one of his episodes when we were little," I said.

"Right, he still has flashbacks from time to time. Memories of Katniss that the Capitol had changed. Luckily, she seems to know how to bring him out of it every time."

"What's a mutt?" I ask carefully.

"It is a genetically engineered creature, grown in Capitol labs. They are mutations that they use to destroy enemies. The mutts are specifically designed to target your weaknesses and there's a good chance you encounter them in the arena."

"Great…" I say.

"Anyway, Katniss needed time away from 13 and from Peeta. She began to take part in actual battles and mission. She was excellent with a bow and arrows. She used to shoot games in the eye, never piercing the pelt."

"Wow," I say.

"Yes, she was very talented. She knew that she could kill Snow if she could just get close enough. So she set out to kill him. However, she was going against orders. She tricked everyone into thinking that is was planned. Peeta had gotten much better by then. He wasn't trying to kill her anymore. So he was assigned to her squad and eventually they began to grow back together."

She pauses for a long time after that, and it eats away until I have to ask.

"Then what happened?"

"Well, the District invaded the Capitol, and Katniss got close to the mansion. However, Snow had crowed the gates with children, knowing that no one would dare put them in harms way. That's when parachutes were dropped to the children. Much like the ones in the old games." She walks back to the chair beside the window and sits down, sighing.

"After about three minutes, they exploded, killing the children inside the gate. When medics from 13 rushed in to help, the remaining ones detonated, killing them and Prim. Did your mother ever tell you about her?"

"Not much. Just that she was her sister and she died when she was very young," I reply, my own sadness at the situation taking over.

"She was only 13 years old. Anyway, after that, the rebels were about to take the mansion when Snow sent in an army of hidden peacekeepers. They swamped the districts. Their numbers were too great for the rebels. They eventually captured your mother and father, and soon the rebellion was lost."

I look up at Effie whose face was blank of emotion. She just stared down at her hands as she did earlier.

"They forced us all to return to our districts. Stripped of even more freedoms than we had before. Soon they reinstated the games, changed the rules and seeked revenge. Your parents returned and soon got married. Katniss was against having children. She didn't want to bring a child into this world only to be murdered. However, when she got pregnant, Peeta was so happy. He wanted you very much. Then Rye came along and the rest is history."

A tear has begun to fall from my eye, as I take this all in. Everything that my parents did. Everything they lost.

"Well!" Effie shoots up, "I believe I will try to get a little shut eye." As she leaves, I watch as she wipes away her own tears.


	4. The Rebellion Lives

**Please review after you read. I need to know what you think. :)**

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I sit on the love seat, staring at the painting across from me of my mother. How could she never tell me this? I can't stand to be left out of stuff, like I can't handle it. Something so important. She was someone who meant something to people. Why didn't she tell me about Effie or Aunt Prim? Was it too painful for her to relive? Still, I have the right to know this about my parents. I am kind of angry with her for keeping this from me. Was she ever planning on telling me?

The sun is beginning to rise above the horizon. The sky is pink and orange with purple clouds stringing along with the speed of the train. It must have been over an hour since Effie left. I begin to see the outlines of trees turn into the outlines of buildings. That must mean we are nearing the Capitol. It means I am nearing my death. I wonder what my parents are doing. Are they up yet? Is mother eating? What about father? Is he staying strong for her?

Soon, Rye emerges and stands in front of me, blocking my view of the painting. Those brown eyes piercing my blue ones. I must stay strong in front of him. He needs me. I have to keep him safe. I flash a smile that convinces him, but not me.

"Morning, sleeping beauty," I say.

"Good morning, ugly step sister," he laughs, "Remember when Dad used to tell us those stories at night?"

"And make all those silly voices?" This coaxes out a genuine smile, "I remember."

"I'm gonna miss that," he says.

"What do you mean, Rye?" I ask.

"Well, I don't think I'm ever going to get to hear those stories again."

"Shut up Rye!" I snap, "You're going make it out of here alive!"

Rye draws back a little, like a scared puppy that was just slapped with a newspaper. I instantly feel guilt for yelling at him. He has enough to worry about.

"I'm sorry Rye. But you can't think like that," I say.

"Yea, I guess not," he pauses, "Effie says it's time for breakfast."

He leads me through a door in the back of the sitting room that leads to a small dinning room with a wooden table and chairs. Unlike all the other rooms, this room is full of fresh sunlight, beaming in from the large glass windows. Flowers decorate the vases on shelves and there's an assortment of food lying out on the table. There is a place for each of us with a plate and fine silver forks and spoons. When I walk in, I am surprised to see Meybell out of her prison cell and at the table. She's dressed and has her sleek red hair pinned up in a ponytail. She still carries a sad expression on her face and she looks up to meet my eyes momentarily before they flitter back down to her plate. Rye takes his seat, waving for me to follow. I take a seat across from Effie and beside Rye and Meybell. I can now see what breakfast has been prepared for us. It is simple eggs and bacon with a fluffy biscuit. I have never seen such good food in my life. The bacon back home is tough and leathery. We usually don't eat bread for breakfast. We save it for supper. And as for the eggs, that is a luxury we have never been able to afford after the bakery failed. This is better than I imagined. But apparently not for Effie who is grumbling under her breath.

"You would think they could afford at least a better quality grade of meat!" and "I remember better breakfasts than this on the trains!"

However, for the rest of us, this is a breakfast for a merchant in District 12. We never have food like this in the Seam. Even Meybell has grown wide eyed at this sight. We dig in without hesitation. I notice a glass of a orange liquid and I give Effie a questioning look.

"It's orange juice. Try it," she says.

I take one sip of the tangy yet sweet juice and I melt like butter. I have never tasted something to rich and delightful. I take another sip, then another, and soon half of the glass of gone. I catch Rye out of the corner of my eye giggling at me. But I don't care. I just smile and continue with my meal.

"Alright, let's get down to business shall we?" Effie starts. I just _love_ how she adds "shall we" to the end of every suggestion, "Today we will be arriving in the Capitol. Now, it is a bit different than District 12. When we arrive, you are not to look at anyone. The people of the Capitol take it as an insult to be looked at by pathetic tributes. We will enter the old training center where you will stay until the launch tomorrow morning. You will each be taken by a peacekeeper and taken to your own underground launch room."

"Wait, they're going to separate us?" I ask, suddenly a wave of fear washes over my body.

"Yes, unfortunately. The arena is a giant circle and the Cornucopia in placed in the middle. The tributes are launched individually lining the outer ring of the circle, turning it into a sort of race to get to the best supplies before anyone else. You will be miles from another tribute. If you are planning on finding an ally, then you will either meet them at the Cornucopia in the middle or risk coming across the other tributes searching for them. This ultimately insures that you will go to the Cornucopia."

Bet you didn't see that one coming, Mom.

"It is a bit different than when your parents were in the games."

"So we have to go to the Cornucopia?" Meybell asks.

"Yes," she answers.

I am still a little confused.

"So, in this giant…circle, everyone is spread along the edge of the arena evenly away from each other and from the Cornucopia, right?"

"Right," confirms Effie.

"So if you went looking for someone, you would cross paths with other tributes who were heading to the Cornucopia for supplies."

"Exactly. Each launch pad has a trail that leads directly to the Cornucopia so that no one crosses paths. Most tributes are afraid of having to kill someone with their bare hands and no weapons. So they choose to follow their own path and not cross the others; immediately set their sights on the supplies and race to get there first."

So if I went looking for Rye after we are separated, there's a chance I will be killed before the games even got started good.

"This is confusing," I say.

"It will begin to make sense once the gong sounds," she says.

Suddenly the room goes dark, along with the rest of the train. That must mean we are in the tunnels that lead to Capitol. None of us have ever seen the Capitol. Just pictures and video on the television. So we don't really have a good idea of what it looks like. But from what I have heard, it is beautifully elegant. The windows are tinted in a rainbow of colors, the people are just as much so, and cars buzz along the streets. I have never seen a car, much less rode in one. So this will be a sight to see. At once, we all stand from the table and clumsily make our way through the dark. I find Rye's hand and lead him to windows. We stand in front of them for about two minutes when light suddenly floods the car again, blinding us until we begin to make out what must be the Capitol. It is nothing like I expected. There are buildings taller than I have ever seen; all tinted black and shine from the overcast light shinning through the clouds. There are no people in the streets. No flamboyant women in outrageously bright outfits with crazy wigs. The streets are empty and abandoned. I suppose that no one really wants to around when the tribute trains roll in. I imagine that they hate us and to be honest, I am not very fond of them either. So this suits me just fine.

"I thought the Capitol was supposed to be the most beautiful place on earth," I say.

"Well thanks to your mom, the Capitol's economy dropped and people couldn't afford such vivacious living. That's probably why they hate us. Particularly you," this is the first time Meybell has uttered a word to me and already I don't mind killing her myself. She has to add her two cents and of course insult me in the process. I just look back at the Capitol and watch it grows closer. Meybell and Rye choose to return to their meals before they are snatched away from them. However, I have lost any appetite I might have had. I continue to watch as the train station comes closer and before I know it, the train slows and comes to a complete stop. I feel a little funny, dizzy almost now that we are no longer in motion. But I guess that's normal so I don't think much of it. Apparently Meybell and Rye feel the effects as well because they both have a little trouble walking in a straight line. I can't help but laugh at them. But once I start to walk myself, I have trouble keeping my balance and I almost run straight into a wall. Luckily I recover and no one was really looking anyway. So Effie leads us back to the door we entered the train in and opens it, letting the fresh air consume us. It is now that I realize how stuffy it was in here. We collected the cookies that Father had gave us and I made sure that my pin was still safely secured to my dress before we stepped off of the train and onto the paved walkway that leads to the square. Effie stands and waits for us all to group together, almost like school children before we walk into the vacant square together. In the square, there are shops everywhere, windows full of all kind of stuff to buy. But they are all closed for the day. There are no plants, no flowers or trees. There is only paved paths and roads lined with bricks for decoration. In the middle of the square, the Capitol seal is painted with dark grey paint on the cement. It is actually kind of pretty. Then I remember this is the Capitol. They are cruel, vicious and murderous monsters. Nothing here is pretty.

We continue to walk to an older building which I assume is the training center. We walk up to the front doors that are guarded by peacekeepers. I tighten my grip on Rye's hand, keeping him with me as long as possible. I don't know why I am so scared of them separating us. It just makes me feel as though it is an opportunity for them to kill or harm him in some way and I won't be there to protect him.

The doors open and we enter this huge circular galley with high ceilings of stone. The ceiling must ascend at least twelve stories. They make a dome shape and at the top a circular skylight adds extra décor. What is it with these people and circles? The floors are tiled and plants are on both sides of the door. Art work hangs on the walls all around the room and on the opposite side are two elevators. Effie leads us to the elevator numbered "1" and presses a button. Before I know it, the doors slide open to a small glass room. We pile on and Effie presses the number "12". We are suddenly thrust upward and the quick motion isn't helping my already pending motion sickness. The glass wall allow you to watch the galley as it deepens below us and the peacekeepers below become the size of ants. Once the elevator stops, I am unsure of what to do. The door in front of us can't open because there is no where for us to go. That's when at the sound of the bell, the walls behind us open and Effie herds us onto the 12th floor. This is a lot to take in at once.

We walk into a large entry way with a dining room to the right, a large gathering area with a television in front of us, and a hall with bedrooms to our left. It is a huge open space and the furniture is nicer than anything I have ever seen before. Everything in our house is old and has something wrong with it. Whether it be holes in the fabric or chips of woods missing from tables. This stuff is new, freshly painted and in one piece. I look at Effie, who is actually taken by surprise. Like she wasn't expecting something so nice. This raises some questions but I decide to save them for later. If the rest of this place is so nice, I want to see what my bedroom looks like. With Rye's hand still in mine, we take off down the narrow hall and both pick a room to call ours until the games tomorrow. I allow him to go into his room alone while explore my own. When I enter, it much better than I could ever imagine. The bed is huge, much bigger than even my parent's bed. On the left wall is a large window that overlooks the Capitol. Flowers in vases decorate the bedside table and shelves. To the right is a closet and when I look inside, it is filled with all kinds of stylish clothes. My eyes grow wide at the sight. I immediately strip off my dress and try on _everything._ Some I like and some I don't. But one outfit sparks my interest. It a yellow tank top that has ruffles that flow freely off of the front. They fall flatly so it doesn't make you look bigger than you are and fits my hourglass figure perfectly. It is so beautiful. It sparkles with glitter in the light and it makes me look like someone I have never seen before is looking back at me in the mirror. I put on some dark blue jeans and take a long look at myself.

When I was younger, I used to be teased about my appearance a lot because I look so much like my mother. Other kids would tell me that I look just like the traitor who kills 39 children every year. That I am ugly and of no importance. It would send me home from school in tears. I would race to my small back room and bury my face in the pillows, crying and hating myself for who I am. My mother would come in and try to console me. However, she was the last person I wanted to see at the time. When I refused to acknowledge her, she managed to coax me up from the pillows to stand in front of my worn cracked mirror.

"What do you see?" she would ask.

"I see me," I would say sarcastically.

"What do you think about yourself?"

"That I'm not pretty. That I'm just some poor seam girl that no one cares about or wants," I reply.

"I care about you. Your father and Rye care about you," she answers, "And you know what else?"

She pauses and after getting no reply, she says, "You're not pretty. You're not beautiful."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. How could she say that? My own mother. She interrupts my thoughts by cupping my face in her hands as she looks into my eyes, and continues, "You're as radiant as the sun."

I can't help the smile that began to creep over my face.

Those very words begin to bounce around in my mind as I look into the mirror now. _I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun._ Almost as if to have another part of her with me, I take my hair down from the ponytail I had put it in when we left the train and carefully braid it to the side; just like my mother wore hers in the games. I smile at the image in front of me now. Even though I am still angry that she hadn't told me what happened, I am proud to be her daughter, proud to look just like she does. A copy.

I turn from the closet and look around some more, trying to get an idea of what I have to work with for tonight when Effie is knocking at my door, calling me to lunch. Has the time passed that quickly already? I am about to walk out of the door when I stop, remembering the pin. I run back over to my dress that now lies on the floor in a wrinkled mess and remove the pin. I carefully pin it to the tank top and take another look in the mirror before I rush out of the door, hopeful of what kind of meal awaits me. I am not disappointed.

I walk into the dinning room and everyone is already seated. When I near the table, Effie sighs at the sight of me.

"You look just like your mother!" she smiles. With that I take my seat.

I can't even control myself when I see the plate that has been prepared for me. I dig into the potatoes, greens, chicken and bread before anyone can stop me. I am packing in one bite after the other and the other stare at me, but I don't care. This is the best meal I have ever had. I continue until my plate is clean and I almost have to pinch myself to keep from licking the plate. That would surely send Effie into a tizzy. That is when I see a strange woman, her lips lined with black lip stick and in a white tunic, walk over to me and take away my plate, replacing it with small slice of cake and a side of a scoop of something I cannot place. This momentarily takes my attention away from the woman herself.

"What is this?" I ask the woman.

Her eyes grow wide with fear before she nods and quickly walks away from me into a back room that says "Off Limits". I look to Effie for an answer.

"Oh, I swear you are just like Katniss," she rests her hand on her forehead before she proceeds to explain that the woman is what they call an "Avox". They cut out her tongue because she committed a crime and she can no longer speak. Effie also pressures that I am not to talk to the Avox unless I am giving her an order. This suddenly reminds of the real reason I am here. It's not for the food or fancy clothes. I am here to die a horrible bloody death because my mother led the rebellion against the Capitol. This saddens me again, and I lose my appetite before I can even start the desert. I ask to be excused and I make my way to the gathering room. I take a seat on the long couch in front of the television. On the table in front of me lies a remote that must control it. I reach for it and there are so many buttons, I don't know what to do with it. Then I spot the button that says "On" and press it. The television lights up with the Capitol seal and then a program appears, showing video of the reaping. The people of Panem are no longer forced to watch the recaps. However, you must watch the games themselves. I am actually kind of interested in watching this. I must have missed the first five districts. So I start watching with District six as three girls are chosen to enter the arena. They are not a career group. Just three scared girls lined in a row on the stage. The 18 year old girl with long blonde hair on the end catches my eye. She is all muscle and I make a note to keep and eye out for her in the arena. District six provides transportation and much of the hovercrafts and trains had to be rebuilt after the rebellion. So if she was forced to work on them, I can see why she has so much strength. When District 7 rolls around, two boys and one girl are picked. They all have muscles, dark red hair and fair skin, and I make a note to stay away form District 7 entirely. District 8 and 9 don't have much to offer. They are all skinny and weak. Obviously they never had a decent meal in their lives. By now Effie and Rye have joined me, but I continue to focus on the competition. One of the girls from District 10 was only 12, as old as Rye but much smaller. Her brown hair was short and long skinny arms hang loosely by her side. So innocent and fragile. She has no clue what she is in for and my disgust for the Capitol increases at the sight of them sending someone like her to be slaughtered. It's horrible. I am glad when District 11 appears and two girls, twins, are reaped. So I am not the only one who fighting to save a loved one. Then again, they may be planning each other's deaths at this very moment. Family devotion only goes so far in the games. What I am planning is extreme. Their dark brown skin and long black ponytails make them stand out from the other district tributes I don't know why but their names stand out in my mind; Hana and Heather. A tall boy is picked as the third tribute and his complexion is even darker than the twins. However, he is skin and bones. He appears to even be afraid as he walks to the stage. But I have learned from watching other games that you should never count someone our because of their body frame. They could know how to kill you 20 different ways with a knife and you would never know it. Soon District 12 appears and I see myself screaming and kicking as Rye is called and Father tries to hold me back. This brings back bad memories so I am happy when District 13 appears. What I see in District 13 is completely different from the other districts. Everyone there is dressed in the same, grey uniforms. Most of the people there are older so there are not many teenagers to choose from. Only a handful of them stand separated from the crowd and wait for the names to be called. A tall man, with snow white hair and a white rose pinned to his tux stands in front of the reaping ball that is filled with the names. Snow white hair, white rose…

I suddenly realize who I am looking at. I am looking right into the snake like eyes of President Snow. He is personally reading the names. I look over at Effie who sits uncomfortably beside me. She begins to nervously wring her hands together and press her lips together tightly. I look back at the screen and three boys have been reaped. None of them can pass the age of 14. I look over to Rye who has fallen asleep on the arm of the couch and then back. President Snow begins to cough furiously into a white handkerchief before he raises a hand and says loud and clear, "Happy Hunger Games! May the odds be ever in your favor!" With that, the Capitol seal returns along with the anthem and then it returns to normal programming.

I have never seen President Snow. He remained pretty illusive after the rebellion. Probably because he had too many enemies. He didn't even appear on television from his mansion. So seeing him personally reaping teenagers in 13 is a bit of a shocker to me. Has he done this every year? It's possible. I have never watched the reaping before so I wouldn't know. It wasn't allowed in our house. Now I know why.

After a few uncomfortable moments, I stand up, take Rye into my arms and carry him to his room. His room is nice, too. I pull down the cover and place in the soft bed. I cover him up and tuck him in; kiss his blonde curls goodnight and whisper that I love him before I leave and shut the door behind me. I decide I prefer not to return to the awkward silence with Effie and I don't even care about Meybell. Probably locked in her room having a panic attack. I return to my room and flop down on the bed, stretching out sideways. When I take a look around the room, I see something that actually makes me kind of mad. One my dresser lays the envelope filled with the pictures of my mother and father. I jump up from the bed and storm out of the room, the envelope in hand. I find Effie who has now retreated to the outside balcony that overlooks the Capitol and I join her, slamming the envelope onto the small table beside her.

"Effie, I can't help you with these," I lean against the rail, and continue, "If you want these to get back to my mom then give them to Rye. He's the only one who can get them back to her."

"What on Earth do you mean?" she asks.

"I mean that my mother only has the chance to get one of her children back, and it's not going to be me," I snap back, "I have accepted that I am going to die, Effie. Only one of us would be allowed to go home. And it should be Rye. So I am going to do everything I can to protect him for as long as I can. So he can return to District 12."

Effie's expression grows soft as she takes in what I have said.

"You know, that's exactly what Peeta did for Katniss. He was willing to die so that she could go home and be with her family. You're more like him than you think, my dear" she says.

"Well, it doesn't matter. I have no choice," I say as I turn to face the open air.

"Maybe you are wrong about that," she replies.

"What are you talking about?" I have become rather annoyed.

"There are things that you don't know, Danica. Things that could change Panem forever," she stands up and joins me by the rail.

"Can I tell you a secret, dear?" the biggest smile has overcome her face, "The rebellion is not over."

"What are you talking about? Of course it's over, or _I _wouldn't be here," I say.

"You see," she looks around to make sure there are no listening ears, no one around who could hear what she is about to say, "My dear friend, Cinna, is still alive."

"What?"

"When he was left for dead in the street, he was still alive. A woman found him and nursed him back to health, treating his wounds. Now, even after the Capitol believes that the rebellion had been lost, he is the leader of small underground group of rebels who are planning this very moment to assassinate the president."

"Wha…what?"

She laughs and continues to explain, "When you and your brother enter the arena, it will be just as real as the other games. So you must stay on top of things. But sometime, Cinna's small group of rebels will be sent on a mission to kill Snow."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"You will become our new Mockingjay," she says, "It will be your job to unite the tributes inside of the arena, band together and lead them until the rebel's mission is completed and each of you are rescued. Save as many lives as you can."

"And what is the mission fails?"

"Have faith, dear," she picks up the photos from the table and places them in my hand, "These were meant for you, Danica. Cinna hoped that they would help encourage you join arms with us. He is still betting you, Mockingjay."

She leaves me alone on the balcony, and I just stare at the envelope. I try to wrap my head around what Effie has told me. Why do they think I can do this? I'm not my mother. I'm not brave like her. I'm not strong like my father. Do they really think this is going to work?

I am shaken from my train of thought by a blood curdling scream that could only belong to my brother.

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**I love cliffhangers :)**


	5. The New Mockingjay

**Hey everybody. Please review after you read and tell me what you think.**

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Still gripping the envelope, I run as fast as I can. I don't even bother to apologize to the Avox I bump into on the way. Then again, I'm not supposed to. I just run to my little brother. The sound of his pained cry prepares me for the worst. "Rye!" I shout. Have peacekeepers broken into his room? What are they doing to him? Torturing him? Killing him? But why? I reach his door and I am surprised to find that it is still closed. I twist the knob and the door flies open as I storm in. I look for the blood, for the mangled remains of my baby brother strewn over the floor. I only find him curled into a ball in the covers, crying. I rush to his side, stroking his hair and searching for a reason for his pain. But I find nothing.

"Rye, what's wrong? Are you okay?" I ask franticly, my breathing at a high pace from my panic, "Are you hurt?"

He's crying so hard that I can't even get him to look up from under the sheets.

"Rye, answer me!" I say trying to pull away the sheets.

I find him, his face buried in his hands with tears dampening the sheets below him. His face is wet and red from the strain. He looks up at me, unable to speak a word. What could have caused this kind of episode? Then I remember the night after my first reaping. How he was screaming my name and crying to point where he started to panic. He had a nightmare. I should have known. It was only a matter of time before he had one. Suddenly relieved that no real physical harm has been done, I relax a little and resume the role of the protective and comforting big sister I had played before. He nods when I ask if this is why he was so upset. I get up from the floor where I was kneeling beside him and climb into the bed. He immediately curls up against me, clutching me like I was the last person he had left on this Earth. He always feels better when he tells me about the dream. So when I ask, he doesn't hesitate to explain it.

"We were in the arena. I was all alone and I couldn't find you anywhere. You weren't at the Cornucopia, or in the trees. I was screaming for you and you wouldn't answer me. When I finally find you, you were dead. Someone had stabbed you. Then someone jumped out from behind the trees and then I woke up."

It's actually kind of sweet how his nightmares are always about losing me. I don't have the heart to tell him that it is going to come true. So I try to comfort him the best I can.

"It's okay Rye. It was just a dream. When that gong sounds, you just stay where you are and I'll come find you. I promise," I say.

"But it's dangerous. Effie said so. Shouldn't we just meet at the Cornucopia?" he questions.

"No, that's even more dangerous. Don't worry about me. I will find you and we will find a nice tall tree to stay in," I say.

"Just be careful," he asks.

"I will. I have to old Mockingjay to protect me, remember?" I lightly tap the end of his nose with my finger and he lets out a small laugh that comforts us both. He slaps my hand away because he says that I treat him like a baby sometimes. But he will always be that little baby brother of mine whether he likes it or not. And I will always protect him.

After a while he falls back asleep and I retreat to my room, exhausted from having so much dumped on me at once. I flop on my bed and try to sort through everything slowly.

_My name is Danica Mellark. I am hours from being dumped into the arena to die. Effie wants me to become the new Mockingjay and united the tributes during the games. Cinna is alive. He is planning to kill snow. If he does, he will rescue us and I can go home._

I can go home. Hmh, it's a nice thought. To return to my mother and father along with Rye. But I am unsure if this would even be possible. How is Cinna even planning on getting to the president? He surrounds himself with peacekeepers 24/7. Well, he must have some sort of plan to even consider something so crazy. From what my mother told me, Cinna is a brilliant mind. He could turn a strip of fabric into a ball gown that glowed. Maybe he has the brains to pull something like this off. Then again, making a beautiful dress and leading an assassination are two completely different things. I take the pictures out of the envelope and begin to look through the photos. Mother and father looked so young. So did Effie. I notice again how my mother didn't smile for any of the photos. She always had a look of sadness or disgust on her face. That is, until she was photographed with Cinna. She trusted him. She knew he wasn't like the other Capitol people. He was unique. And my mother had faith in that. She knew that she could always count on Cinna to have her back. For some reason, I know that if my mother could trust him, I can too. I am still uncertain, though, if Cinna has fully thought this mission through. What is the mission was to fail? What if President Snow escapes and the rescue teams never come for us? If we refuse to fight, I'm sure that the game makers will simply leave us there to starve and die. Drain the water from the arena so we lose our battle with dehydration. I just don't feel like this is a very good plan. Then Effie's words return, playing again and again in my mind. _Have faith, dear. Have faith. Have faith. _

Mother must have had faith in the rebellion to have fought and risked so much. She must have known that is was at least possible to even consider being the Mockingjay. She even set out to kill Snow herself. Maybe I need to have faith in the rebellion as well. Maybe I am just questioning it too much. Maybe this is a chance for me to clear her name, to free the world of the dark Capitol's control. My chance to make a difference, just as she did. Maybe…

I ponder this for hours, just sitting on the bed as I continue to look through the photos over and over again. When Effie comes to the door for the third time, trying to coax me to dinner, I just ignore her again. There is too much to think about. Too much to consider. And it is so important that dinner will have to wait. I turn the Mockingjay pin around in my hand, examine the bird in flight, an arrow is clamped in its beak. Could this be what I was born for? My destiny? To end the Hunger Games forever?

When I find Effie, she is reading some kind of book on the couch. The television is off and I don't blame her. I can't stand Capitol television myself. All that plays are reruns of the same thing. Videos from the dark days, speeches about how we apparently didn't learn our lesson, and shows that bash my mother. I avoid it as often as I can. It is dark outside and the Capitol has come alive with lights and flashing signs out the window. I slowly walk over and take a seat beside Effie, who doesn't even bother to look up from her book before saying, "We missed you at dinner, dear."

"I know," I say, "I've just been thinking… about your proposal to be the Mock…"

"Oh, let's not talk in here. Too stuffy," she laughs, "It's awfully windy tonight but the balcony is the best place to have conversation as we overlook the city. It's quite breathtaking."

I suddenly get the feeling that we are being listening in on and that "It's awfully windy tonight," means that no one will hear us talking. I nod and Effie sets her book on the coffee table in front of us. We walk out onto the balcony and even though she was just covering her suggestion, she was right about the beauty of the Capitol at night. It is quite beautiful. The buildings are lined with lights and the streets are bustling with night owls who are taking in the clubs and theaters. The people chat happily, and even from this height, I can hear laughter and cheerful conversation. What it must be like to live in this world? A world where there is no danger of your children being sent to the games. Freedom is the first word that comes to mind.

"Wow," I sigh, "This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"Yes. Even more so before the rebellion," she says.

This brings me back to the reason I have pulled Effie out here to talk. I turn from the rail and stand closely to Effie as I begin to whisper.

"Look, I'm so sure about this whole, Mockingjay thing," as I speak, Effie's smile retreats and she turns to look over the city, "But, for some reason, my mother was. She trusted you and she trusted Cinna. She knew that there something there worth fighting for. She had faith." I take a deep breath. "So for that reason, I have decided to agree to be your Mockingjay. I don't know yet if I am your best choice to try to get everyone in the arena to buddy up, but I'll give it my best shot."

Effie has turn back to face me and her smile has returned. "I know you can do it. I just know you can!" she bubbles. She pulls me into a long hug which I eventually have to wiggle my way out of. She is obviously excited because she is bouncing around and laughing. I swear, I will never understand this woman.

"I'm just not sure of what my parents will make of it," I say.

"They will be so proud of you. I know it."

We look at each other for a moment, taking in the joy of the moment. Eventually the awkwardness of the situation sets in and she excuses herself to go inform Cinna that I have joined the team.

I soon return to my room and gather the pictures that were spread over the sheets, placing them carefully into the envelope and on the bedside table. If the games are to begin in the morning, then I am going to need all the sleep I can get. I don't know how much I'll be getting once 37 other people set out to slit my throat. I leave on the clothes just because I'm not ready to take them off. I pull the cover down, slid in-between the silky sheets and lay my head on the soft, fluffy pillow. It was like I was sleeping on a cloud. I still have no idea how to go about uniting everyone, no idea where to start. Then a thought hits me. Meybell.

That's perfect! She's the best place to start. Besides, how can I unite the other districts if I can't even unite 12? I soon have a plan. Tomorrow, I will be as kind and courteous as I can to Meybell, even though I am still simmering from her earlier comment. But if it will get both Rye and I home, and save dozens of lives, then I'll just have to swallow my pride. Build her trust. Then we can all work together to get everyone else to join our group. I think about where to start. Who would most likely need me as an ally to survive in the arena. I missed most of the careers and maybe that is for the best. They will be a tough nut to crack. So I will save them for last, when there is more of us than there are of them. I remember District 8 and 9 were rather weak in appearance. They might accept my help in the arena. The 12 year old girl, I think her name was Bailey, from District 10 will be one of the first I recruit. I am unsure if the twins will be willing to join us. However, they may agree if they can save each other's lives. From what I have heard about 13, the three boys that were reaped may not be too happy about pairing up with us. They believe they are the better of the 13 districts. They might not want to be seen allying with us. But who knows? Whew. This is a lot to think about. But I told Effie I would do my best, and I am going to try.

I eventually fall asleep and immediately wish I had stayed up. The nightmare is the most brutal of any I have ever had. Of course, we are already in the arena. I am running from the careers and when I reach the Cornucopia. Rye is there, waiting for me.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, "I told you to stay in the tree!"

"I got scared, so I came looking for you," he said innocently.

"Well a pack of careers are coming this way!" I shout, as I push him to the woods. We have reached the tree line as the careers burst their way into the open field, full speed. They are coming our way when suddenly, out of nowhere, a pack of what must be "mutts" burst out of the thicket and slaughter each one of them. They are all dead within moments and soon five cannons are shot into the open. That was the last of them. Rye and I are the only tributes left in the arena. No, this is not good. Rye and I are the only two left alive. We're both from District 12. It means either I have to kill Rye, or poor little Rye will have to kill me. I look down at him, the shock registering on his face. I look at the knife in my hand and start to cry. As if someone in the game room is controlling my body, my arm reluctantly raises, the knife in my hand aimed for my brother's chest. I can't stop it. I pull with my free hand, trying to stop the knife from plunging into Rye's heart. "No!" I shout, "Run Rye! Run! I can't stop it, get out of here!"

But he stays, unmoving. The knife is centimeters from his body when I find myself in Effie's arms, crying and screaming hysterically. How did I end up here? Then, I realize it was a dream, a nightmare that I luckily woke up from. I soon begin to catch my breath, tears streaming down my face. Effie surprised by the incident rocks me back and forth like I do with Rye, stroking my hair. Suddenly, I don't care how well I know Effie. I just burry my face in her blouse and cry.

"Is everything alright, dear? I heard you screaming and I raced in here to find you thrashing around like a mad woman," Effie says.

"Yes," I say between sobs, "I just… had a nightmare."

I didn't even know that Rye was standing in the doorway until he walks over and plops on the bed beside us and wraps his arms around us, "Tell me."

I pull away from Effie and wipe away the tears as I carefully say, "We were the last ones in the arena, and I was forced to kill you."

Rye, always knowing what to say at the right time, just like Father, smiles and raises two fingers to the crook of his neck and checks for a pulse, "Nope, I'm still alive." He laughs.

I can't help but join the laughter the Effie and Rye are sharing. I lean over scoop Rye up, and pull him into an embrace that he doesn't seem to like too much, "Danica, I'm fine now, but if you keep hugging me like this I'm gonna die of suffocation." He tries to wiggle away but I keep pulling him back until he finally gives up and lets me hold him.

"I love you Rye," I say.

"I love you too, Danica," he sighs. Effie is on the verge of tears herself and she tries to cover it up.

"It's a big, big, big day! So get dressed and wash up for breakfast!"

Rye is already ready, so he leaves for breakfast without me. I am still in the clothes I was in yesterday, which are now soaked with sweat and wrinkled beyond belief. So I removed to pin and place it carefully on the table beside the bed. In my underwear, I walk over to the closet and put on a plain blue t-shirt and some black kaki pants. I put the pin on the shirt and when I look in the mirror, my Mockingjay looks as though it is soaring through the sky. My braid is a mess and stray hairs are flying everywhere. I don't really want to be taken to the arena looking like this. I rebraid it and start to look at least somewhat civilized before I walk for the door. I don't even bother to put on shoes yet. I just walk down the carpeted hallway in my socks and, of course, Effie has a fit. She says that I am not properly dressed but I just ignore her and sit down. A different Avox than the one yesterday brings me my breakfast. I wonder where the other girl is. I didn't do anything to get her in trouble did I? By speaking to her other than to give her a command? I hope not. I have enough on my shoulders without having an Avox's death on my conscious as well. I shake it off and dig into my meal. Oddly, Meybell is no where to be found. Oh yeah, I forgot that today I was supposed to start being nice to her. So where is she?

"Where's Meybell?" I ask.

"I believe she wasn't feeling too well. She's staying in her room until the peacekeepers arrive at 10," Effie replies.

Uh oh. There goes my appetite again. Soon, Rye will be taken away from me and the only way I will get him back is by risking my own skin with the careers. I almost push the meal away when Rye apparently catches on. "You need to eat Danica. You don't know when we will get food again."

I nod and force down every bit until I feel like I am about to throw it all back up. But Rye is right. I need the food. So I lie down on the couch in the gathering room and close my eyes and try to focus on something else. I soon fall asleep and apparently sleep all the way until the time for the peacekeepers to take us to the launch rooms because Effie is soon shaking me awake and telling me to put on some shoes because its time to leave. When I stand up from the couch, I see them. Three peacekeepers standing in the entry way from the elevators. The look like robots in their sleek black suits and helmets. They all watch me, never averting their eyes as I walk down the hall to my room to get some shoes. As I near my door, Meybell is nervously closing the door to her bedroom behind her and starts to walk past me. I stop her, gently grip her arm and say, "Good luck out there."

Her astonishment is obvious, her eyes wide with disbelief as she slowly walks away. Even thought there was no return, I still feel as though I am one step closer to our being allies. I enter my room and slip on some shoes. I pick up the cookies that Father had gave me and fold up the picture of Cinna and my mother and put it in my pocket. I make sure the pin is secured onto my shirt and go to Rye's room. He is putting on his shoes and I tell him not to forget his cookies. Once we are both ready I place an arm around his shoulder and we walk together to the two peacekeepers that are left. Meybell must have left without us.

One peacekeeper stays with me as Rye and his peacekeeper leave for the hover craft. I give him one last hug and this time, he hugs me tighter than I did him. The peacekeeper pulls us apart and I say goodbye. Soon they are both out the door and gone. I feel like I could cry, but I'm not going to show weakness in front of the peacekeeper. I just sit down next to Effie on the couch and she rubs my back as we wait for my peacekeeper to tell me it's time to leave. When he finally does about ten minutes later, Effie and I stand and she gives me a hugs and whispers, "You're going to be fine, my dear. Have faith." With that the peacekeeper is pulling me out of the room by the arm and I must say, he has quite the grip. My arm soon grows sore from it and I almost ask him to loosen it. But then again, I don't want to seem fragile in front of the robot. So I just grit my teeth and bare it. We go down to circular room we came in and out through a back hallway that leads to the hovercraft pad. There, my own hovercraft is waiting for me with a large 12 painted on the side. I have never been in a hovercraft. I would see them from time to time flying over the district and causing widespread panic. We were always paranoid that one day they would just end up bombing us all to death. However, that never happened. Uncertainty. There is no conversation between the peacekeeper and I. So the awkward silence is starting to annoy me. But luckily we reach the pad soon and I am being met by a medical staff that takes my temperature, listens to my heart beat and then painfully injects a small metal chip into my forearm. The nurse says that it is a tracker so that the gamemakers can monitor my vital signs and know where I am during the games. Hah, like they are really worried about something happening to me. That's what they want, for something to happen to me. But I just keep quiet and I am frozen onto the ladder that starts to ascend up into the hovercraft. Once I am inside, I am released and can move again. So I take a seat and a man inside tells me to buckle in. So I obey. As I wait for us to take off, I can see out of the window as another hovercraft lowers beside us; a giant 13 staring me in the face. That's right; District 12 isn't the last to leave anymore.

Soon we take flight and I watch the clouds as they dissipate around the craft. I am surprisingly calm to be heading for the arena. I am not nervous or shaky, not sad or angry. I am just accepting, and waiting for the games to begin. I try to relax in the seat, leaning my head against the wall as we fly through the air. I try not to think of Rye, but my thoughts are focused on my parents. They must be gathered at the town square by now around the giant screens. Mother is probably bottling in the pain, not wanting the other people's sympathy. Father probably stares blankly into the screen waiting for his daughter and son to appear. They are probably anxious to see what the arena will look like this year. I am two. I am still a little confused over the layout of the arena. Maybe when I get there I can climb a tree and try to get an idea. But then again, I need to get to Rye as soon as I can. He is my main priority. If I wait too long, someone else could find him and he'd be dead before I could get to him. I have to get Rye. Besides, I promised him I would. The windows darken which must mean we are nearing the arena. That didn't take long. Only about 15 minutes. Soon we are back on the ground and I unbuckle the belt tying me to the chair. I am frozen in place on the ladder as the floor below opens up and I begin to descend to the ground. Once I am free, peacekeepers jump in to take me by the arms and lead me into the building behind. It must be where the launch rooms are. We go into the building and take the elevator to the lower floors that must be underground. I watch the level numbers as we drop lower into the Earth's surface. Level -1, -3. Until we stop on Level -5. When the doors open, I large hall lined with peacekeepers incase we get out of hand. I am lead to the very end of the hall where a metal, tightly sealed door, much like the one in the Justice building is numbered "12" awaits me. This is my launch room. The peacekeepers release me and one of them scans his thumb on a tiny screen on the wall. The door slide open sideways slowly and I walk into the small, dark room. There is a couch and coffee table on the right. To the left, there are hooks on the wall and a chair. On the hook is a jacket and a shirt and pair of pants are neatly folded in the chair. I suppose that is what I will be wearing into the arena. The door slams shut behind me, making me jump. Capitol door are way too loud for my liking. The games begin at 11. The clock on the wall says that it is 10:50. They certainly try to get her _right_ on time. I guess they don't want to give us too much time to lounge around. I put on the clothes which consist of a white shirt and black cargo pants. I am thankful for the pockets on these things. I put the cookies in the large pouch on the side of my right leg and the photo in one of the back pockets. I take the jacket down from the hook and observe the material. It's made of some kind of synthetic fabric and it's lined on the inside with soft cotton. The hood and sleeves are lined with a strip of grey reflective fabric. Wow that's a great idea. Put reflective fabric on a tributes jacket so they can be see easier and killed sooner. I make a mental note to slap some mud on it when I find water. That should cover it up. For now, I put the jacket on and pin the Mockingjay to the collar of the shirt underneath. I may not always have the jacket, so the shirt is the best place to put it. I take a look in the mirror, because of course I am worried about how I will look on camera and not about dying. Or at least that's what the Capitol thinks. I look in the mirror to tell myself that no matter what, my mission is to get Rye home. Uniting the other tributes always comes second. Soon a voice over the intercom announces that there is only 2 minutes until launch. Then, after being so calm before, my heart begins to race. It's becoming to real. I am two minutes from the arena. Two minutes from my fellow tributes. My breathing becomes rapid and I get a little lightheaded. So I sit down on the couch and wait anxiously, twisting my hands together the way Effie did when she saw President Snow. My heart beats faster with every agonizing second that passes. _1 minute until launch_. Here it comes. I notice a pitcher or water and glass sitting on the table and poor me something to drink. I have drunk about three glasses when we are down to 40 seconds. _Each tribute please board your designated launch pad._ How is Rye dealing with this? He is probably crying in the balled up heap. That's what I want to do right now. I swallow hard and stand from the couch as I slowly walk to the launch pad. With each step, I begin to hyperventilate. I step into the small tube and the hatch seals beside me. Soon the air inside the tube becomes warm and thin; I feel as though I may pass out or even die in here. I panic and start to beat on the tube, trying to open the hatch and escape. But it remains closed. _30 seconds. _The pad below me begins to rise. I am still panicking, beating the tube to the point I am sure it should bust at any moment. But it doesn't. Before I know it, fresh air enters my lung and I can hear bird in the woods around me sing songs of excitement at our arrival. The sun is beating down on me through the leaves of the tall trees. I am surrounded by pine, oak, willow and more. I see a squirrel as he scampers down a branch to watch me as I rise out of the ground. _20 seconds. 19, 18, 17, 16… _Oh no.

Okay, focus Danica. You know what to do. Find Rye and then find water like mother said. We can't go long without it. From there, I'll figure out how to get us some weapons of our own and then we will have a way to get food. After that, I'll worry about uniting tributes. _12, 11, 10, 9… _I swear, the birds stop singing, the squirrels stop scampering. Everything is still and quiet. Not even wind blows around me. I look behind me and see that I am against the barrier separating the arena from the real world. The tall concrete wall towers way above me and in front of me it the long, straight path that Effie was telling me about. The distance must be too great from here to the Cornucopia, so I can't see it from the wall. That means that this is a big arena. I'm glad I told Rye to stay at his launch pad because otherwise, I would never find him.

_8, 7, 6…_

Breathe Danica, breathe.

_5, 4, 3, 2, 1._

Let the 100th Annual Hunger Games begin.


	6. Day One In The Arena

**First day in the arena. :) enjoy! plzz review**

* * *

The gong sounds and birds go crazy. Before I can even think twice, I leap off of the launch pad and run at full speed along the wall. Effie said that all the tributes are lined along this wall. So I know that if I follow it long enough, it will lead me to Rye. I am getting slapped in the face by hanging briars and limbs, my ankles getting caught on roots. But no matter what, I keep moving. I don't stop to wipe the blood that is trickling down the side of my face from a deep briar cut. I begin to sweat and my body temperature rises as I run. I soon wish I had another one of those glasses of water. But that doesn't matter. I need to get to Rye. After about 10 minutes of running I reach the first tribute pad. It's empty of course. I begin to worry that this might have been Rye's pad. That he ran to the Cornucopia. I examine the pad and notice that in the center is a small embossed 5. This pad belongs to a tribute from District 5. I immediately start to run again and in another 10 minutes, I find a launch pad for one of the District 13 tributes. So they are mixing us up…

I run and run and run and I am sure that I am on the brink of death when I reach a launch pad with the number 10, where Bailey is curled up on the ground and crying. She is calling out for her mother who is surely watching this. Her small frame is shaking horribly and she getting choked on her tears. I stop to watch her, look for any aggression that she might have hidden under the tears before I start to walk over to her slowly. A twig snaps under my boot and she whips around, wide eyed. This is when I notice her green eyes, as green as the meadow in the song my mother used to sing to me. Her short brown hair is a mess and there are a couple of leaves stuck in them. I hold my hands up to show her I have no weapons and no intention of harming her. But this doesn't convince her. She begins to cry harder, shooting along the ground with her elbows as she backs away from me and against the wall, "No! Please, don't hurt me. Please!" she cries. My heart breaks at this sight as I continue to walk slowly. I am inches from her as she presses her back against the wall crying when I squat down to her level like my mother did with Rye.

"It's okay Bailey. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise," I look her in the eye as I raise a hand. She winces as if expecting me to hit her but I only remove the leaf that was tangled in her hair. She relaxes a little once she realizes she's still alive.

"How…how do you know my name?" she asks.

"I saw you on the recaps from reaping day," I say. I take her arm and gently help her to her feet. She is very short compared to Rye, much smaller too. Smaller than she was on television.

"I saw you too," she says wiping away a tear. "Your mom is Katniss."

"Yea," I laugh, "so I kind of got a lot to live up to."

She laughs and I tell her that I want her as my ally; that I need her help to find Rye. We set off along the wall. I slow down because I am sure she couldn't keep up. We find a small stream of water that is fairly wide and filled with rocks. I almost dunk my head into the water when Bailey stops me.

"It's not filtered," she says.

"So?"

"So, it can make you sick," she says.

"Well how do we filter it?"

"Well, you can either put drops of iodine in it to clean it or you take some thick fabric and filter the water through it."

"Where would I find iodine?"

"The Cornucopia…maybe."

I let out a sigh as I hear a faint voice calling me.

"Danica."

"Rye?" I say as loud as I dare.

"Danica," the voice is barely audible, pretty far away, "Help."

Rye. He's in trouble and far away. I take off running across the rocks and almost lose my balance a couple of times before I reach the other side. I am about to take off in the direction that I heard the voice when Bailey calls me from behind.

"Danica, I can't cross it. My legs aren't long enough," she says.

But what about Rye? He needs me. I have to get to him! But I can't just leave Danica here. She could be killed. My feet shuffle as my brain tries to decide what to do. I finally decide to get Bailey and rush back across the rocks. I lean down and she jumps on my back. I give her a piggy-back ride across the stream and as soon as we reach the other side, she slides off and we both take off running. I am surprised at her speed. She sure can move fast. I am actually trailing behind at one point. As we run the voice is getting louder and louder. And the louder it gets, the more it sounds like Rye's. Now the voice is pained, like Rye has been hurt, "Danica!"

"I'm here Rye! I'm coming!" I shout back. I jump over the gulley we come to but since Bailey is too small it take a little longer for her to slide down into the ditch and climb back up the other side, I stop.

"No, keep going. I'll catch up. Go!" she says.

I take off running again and when I reach the area I am certain the voice is coming from, I only find an open space and a tall oak tree. I look around franticly for him. But he's not here. I look up, wondering if he somehow ended up in the tree but I don't see him. I start to walk a circle around the tree, and I stop when I see a small red bird sitting on the branch. This bird is rather odd looking, a long beak and its mouth is open like it is singing. But all I hear are Rye's cries. Wait, the cries aren't coming from Rye. They are coming from this bird. I am dumbfounded and confused when Bailey speaks up behind me, trying to catch her breath.

"Jabberjay," she wheezes.

"What?"

"Jabberjay. They're mutts."

"That's a mutt? Hmh, I was expecting something a little more threatening," I say.

"They can replicate human words and memorize entire sentences. Chances are the Capitol is using him to target you."

"Target me how?"

"Lead you away from your brother," she says. I suddenly become so angry. Oh, I wish I had my mother's arrow. I'd send that bird down to his feathery death on the ground. Stupid mutt! I feel so stupid for falling for one of the Capitol's tricks. Then I think of my father. His rants during an episode. I now know why he wants nothing to do with them.

"Let's go," I growl. We leave and eventually make our way back to the wall. When we reach the wall, we desperately want to take a break. But we know that here, every second counts. I can't just sit around. So we continue to walk. We have slowed down due to our tiredness and weak strength. We pass a plate with the number 1 on it. A career. We both tense up as we walk through this area. These people would have no problem killing us with their bare hands. We stay on high alert until we reach another plate that reads 11. I am starting to get frustrated. Why did they place us so far apart? I mean, I think its bad enough that one of us is going to die anyway, so why separate us like that? It makes no sense. Bailey has been quiet for a while now. I guess she senses my stress and is leaving me alone. So I decide to get some kind of conversation going.

"So you're from District 10?"

"Yea, we raise the cows and pigs and chickens," she says.

"I thought your district only raised cows."

"Well that is what we are known for. But someone has to raise the other animals too."

"I imagine you get a lot of good meat, huh?"

"Not really. We only get the entrails and meat that was damaged when they were killed."

"Wait, so you eat the guts? Like the stomach and liver and stuff?"

"Well, when you have no other food, it can be rather tasty," she laughs.

"Wow," I laugh, "But I guess you have a point there."

"You don't get all the coal you want, I'm sure."

"No, just what the Capitol gives us and any that we track in on our shoes."

She giggles and we fall into silence before she speaks up again.

"Why are you helping me?" she asks.

Uh oh. I can't tell her about the rebellion or Cinna. I can't tell her that I am the new Mockingjay, following in my mother's footsteps. I said it out loud the gamemakers would hear and we would all be dead within seconds. So what do I tell her?

"Well…I just thought that," I stumble on my words.

"It's because I'm small, right?" she asks.

I let out a nervous laugh, when she spots something that makes her eyes become filled with wonder. She moves closer to me and then runs her finger along the gold circle around my Mockingjay.

"Is it?"

"Yea, it was my mother's," I smile and take the pin off letting her hold it for a moment. She rubs her thumb over the wings and traces the arrow as she takes in what she is holding. The symbol of the rebellion. Little does she know, it still is.

"It's beautiful," she says handing it back to me.

"You can wear for a little while if you want," I say.

"Oh, no. I wouldn't take very good care of it. Besides, it looks better on you."

I take the pin back from her and secure in back in place. We start walking again and I've had about enough walking for my entire lifetime by now. But Rye keeps me going. It must be around 3 o'clock by now. This only increases my worry and fear that something has already happened to Rye. Too much time has passed between the gong and now. The whole Jabberjay incident didn't help either. I wonder what he is doing and if he is worried about me. We'll both know tonight when…

_Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!_

I look at Bailey who has now frozen in her tracks.

"The bloodbath must be over," I know what she's talking about. The battle at the Cornucopia. Whoever was fighting is either dead, fleeing back to the woods, or with the Careers guarding the Cornucopia. Great. No iodine for us. That also means that some tributes will be coming back to the woods and might come across Rye before I do. I start to count the canon shots.

"6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16…" I wait for the 17th shot, but it never comes. That's it. That's all of the deaths. 16 kids are dead already and were only a few hours into the games. All of those innocent people, their families. Tears are now threatening me. But I have to stay strong. For Bailey _and_ Rye.

"Well, if it's over, that means their coming back to the woods. We're running out of time. We need to move," I say as I start to walk, not looking at Bailey for fear that the tears will spill over. We walk in silence now, and I think about all of those kids lying dead on the field, bleeding and gutted. The claws of the however craft dropping to retrieve them. I think of their families and I think of my own parents. I hope they don't have to watch that happen to one of us.

"Danica!" shouts Bailey as the stoops down on the ground, hovering over the metal plate on the ground. I rush to her side and sure enough, the number on the plate reads "12".

"Do you think this one was Rye's?"

"I don't know," I examine the plate, its diamond grated pattern that is filled with tiny white crumbs. I pick a large crumb out and examine it. On the top of this large crumb is a smudge of purple. Hmh. Purple…icing?

"The cookies!" I shout. I scramble to my feet and immediately search the bushes and thicket for Rye, "Rye! Rye, where are you?" I am screaming his name and Bailey helps me look. As I walk around a tree, I notice something shinning one the ground. I lean over and pick up a knife that was buried under the leaves. What unsettles me is the blood dripping off of the tip. My heart plummets into my stomach and I start to cry and scream hysterically again. I don't care what tribute is in the area. I will find Rye and kill anyone who stands in my way.

"Rye!" I scream, "Rye!"

I run around a little because I really don't know what else to do. My vision is so blurred by my tears. The sound of footfall brings me back and I freeze like a deer. I watch the bushes as they sway and rustle until a figure is visible. I am poised to run away with Bailey, find cover when I see those famous blonde curls poke out from behind the bushes. Rye is covered in blood.

"RYE!" I shout as I lunge for him. I wrap my arms around him, running that blonde hair through my fingers. The tears start up again and I have to pull away from him and wipe them away so I can see.

"Rye! You're alright!" I say, laughing at the same time.

"I'm fine Danica, what took you so long? I was starting to worry," he asks.

"We just got a little, sidetracked. Why are you covered in blood? And didn't I tell you to stay at the plate?"

"I'm sorry, I just thought I could get us some food," he holds up the squirrel that he skinned and gutted, which would explain the blood.

"Where did you get the knife? Oh, Rye! You better not have gone to the Cornucopia!"

"No, I found it. I found some other stuff too, but I don't know if it's of any use."

"Where?" I am confused.

He leads me over to a pile of leaves that would, from far away, look just like a pile of leaves. But upon closer examination, you would see that the leaves conceal a small pit in the ground. Rye was smart enough to figure this out. I peel away the leaves and find the pit full of all kinds of things that I know would be useful. I find a small black backpack, another knife, some rope and a bottle of some clear liquid. I ask Bailey if she knows what it is and she says it looks like rubbing alcohol. Inside of the backpack are two full water bottles and some bandages. These could do wonders for us until I can get everyone else to group together. Then we could get more supplies and probably stick it out until we are rescued. I put the knife and rubbing alcohol into the backpack. I try to stuff the rope into the pack but it just won't fit. So I throw the pack over my shoulder and wind the rope into a circle so I can sling it over my shoulder too. Now that we have _something_ to work with, and Rye is safe, where do we go from here?

It's probably around 6 or 7 and soon it will get dark. So we need to find a place to stay. We walk until we reach a nice large tree and a grass flat below it. It's actually kind of pretty for the arena. The tree has blossoms that are shaped like stars and release a sweet aroma. It's the best place to camp. While we still have day light, I light a fire and cook Rye's squirrel. I have never cooked before and the last thing we need is for someone to get sick. So I end up cooking the squirrel until it's actually a little black. Rye complains of course, saying that he's going to cook the next one. I take the second knife and divide the meat up evenly. We ration it so that we will have meat in the morning before we can hunt again. I am sure this place is teeming with squirrels. As soon as the light starts to lessen, I put the fire out and pack the leftover meat into the backpack. I start to scale the tree with Rye behind me when Bailey speaks.

"What are you doing?"

"We're camping in the tree tonight," I say.

"How do I get up there?"

"Can't you climb trees?" asks Rye.

"No," she says.

This causes a bit of a problem, considering that the careers like to hunt at night. Camping on the ground isn't a good idea. I can't leave Bailey on the ground, not by herself. Rye would be fine in the tree by himself. I back down to the ground and take off the pack.

"Here," I say to Rye as I hand him the rope and a water bottle, "I'm going to stay down here with her. You sleep up in the tree."

"What? Danica!" he protests.

"You sleep in the tree! Understand?"

"Ugh…" he takes the rope and water and climbs the tree like a monkey; I suppose to get away from me. As long as he's safe.

I sit on the ground and lean back against the tree trunk with the backpack safely behind me. Before long I can here Rye snoring and I know that I'll have no more trouble from him. Bailey lies beside me curled up on her jacket which she can almost fit on because she is so small. She watches the sky as it gradually get darker and night begins to fall. I was the sun as it disappears and soon, the anthem is being blared across the arena. I hear Rye as he almost falls out of the tree from the noise. I can't help but bust out laughing. The sky lights up and the seal appears. Then a picture of each dead tribute, their district and name flashes in the sky. It's like a giant hologram in the sky. I've never seen anything like it. The first tributes begin to appear. Everyone from 1 survived. Two girls from 2 are dead. One boy from 3. One girl from 4. Both girls and the one boy from 5 are gone. The blonde from district 6 whose name I learn is Rosa and another girl named Karen is dead. No one from 7 is dead. One boy from 8. Everyone from 9. The other girl from 10, and two of the boys from 13. 16 in total are dead. I take a deep breath and lean back against the tree. I am hoping that there won't be any more tonight, since Bailey and I are stuck here on the ground.

Eight careers will be on the hunt for us. I imagine they will be looking for me especially because I'm Katniss's daughter. The reason they are here tonight and not warm in their beds. I have to stay awake and alert, listening for any sounds that seem out of place. Rye and Bailey are both lost to this world, but I am wide awake. My fear won't let me sleep anyway. I think about how my parents are probably watching us now. I know that they will stay awake with me, urging me through the night.


	7. Allies and Enemies

**Making friends. And enemies. **

* * *

It is the longest night of my life, but somehow, I make it. The sun starts to peek from behind the trees and morning light floods the woods. Bailey and Rye are still fast asleep and I would love to let them stay there. But we have to keep moving. If we are going to get something to clean the stream water, we need to do it now. I find a small pebble and throw it at Rye who is comically sprawled out on the limb of the tree. He jump and is soon rubbing his eyes. I shake Bailey awake. Once Rye is back on the ground, I pull out our leftover squirrel and we enjoy a small but energizing breakfast. We are each allowed two swallows of water and then we pack up for the journey. Rye yawns as we walk and the morning air is surprisingly cool. I've notices some rather strange cloud coverage as well. The gamemakers must be planning some kind of storm so we better get what we need fast. We follow one of the paths that lead to the cornucopia, ensuring we will get there and quickly too. We start to walk down hill and through some rather rocky terrain. Rye finds another squirrel and launches a large rock into its skull. I cringe at this, that my little brother could be so brutal, but then again, it's just a squirrel and we need the food. He skins it as we walk and finds so large leaves to wrap it in before putting in the backpack. We are walking when a canon fires and I whip around expecting one of them to drop dead. However, they both just look at me.

"Who do you think that was?" Bailey asks Rye.

"I don't know," he says, "Could be anyone."

"Let's keep moving," I say.

When I can see the Cornucopia through the trees, I know that it's probably if we aren't in plain sight. On the trail, it's open space. Someone from the Cornucopia could easily see us. We dive into the thicket around us and try to be as quiet as possible. But with Rye, it's not the easiest thing to do. He is so loud. But I know he tries to stay quiet, so I don't say anything. We stay parallel with the trail so we don't get lost and we come to a tall willow tree that is surrounded by shrubs. We huddle behind the shrubs and assess the situation. In the field, the Cornucopia is still packed full of supplies. However, three of the eight careers are guarding it. They are all armed and very dangerous. I ask Bailey if she knew who they were.

"The short blonde girl is Raini from District 2. The boy with brown hair and glasses is Skyler from District 3 and Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome is Maxwell from District 4."

Rye and I stare at her for a moment over that last comment.

"What?"

"Look," I say turning back to the Cornucopia, "We have to find a way to get them away from here. Send them on a hunt or something."

"Hunting who?" Rye asks.

"It would have to be me. You two can grab anything we need while I'm gone and I'll shake off the careers and meet you somewhere."

"Danica, I won't let you do that," Rye says.

"Yea, it's too dangerous," Bailey adds.

"Listen, don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'll meet you both back at our tree. You take what we need and run," I start to move, to expose myself and send the Careers on a chase when someone bulldozes through the trees adjacent to us, a hatchet thrown over his shoulder and running straight for the careers. I'm so stunned I sit right back down. Is this guy nuts? Taking on three careers with a hatchet? If I had stepped out he would have ran right over me.

"Who is _that?" _I ask Bailey.

"That's Carson from District 7," she says.

"Has he lost his senses?" Rye asks.

"Probably. Everyone in that district is a little psycho. Take Johanna Mason for example. She ripped people's throats out with her teeth. I wouldn't want to be around him with that hatchet. He knows how to use it. He probably works in the lumber yard and hacks away at stuff the whole day."

His red hair is gleaming in the sunlight as he runs to take on the first career. Raini is the first to get to him, her sword ready to take him on. They battle for a little while, blocking each other's blows when Raini takes a hatchet into her rib cage, surely hitting some vital organs. She falls to the ground without a sound and Carson jerks the hatchet free from her body. Rye nuzzles under my arm and buries his face in my jacket. The canon fires and Carson moves on to Skyler, taking him out in on blow to the head. _Boom! _Now it's down to Maxwell and Carson. Maxwell towers over Carson remarkably and he is armed with all kinds of spears. I wouldn't want to take that guy on. However Carson pushes forward. Maxwell sends spears flying and Carson deflects each one with the hatchet. Maxwell then throws a knife which buries into Carson's arm. He drops the hatchet and removes the knife as Maxwell runs to him ready for a fist fight.

Maxwell tackles Carson down to the ground and they roll and punch and kick until Carson is on top. Maxwell struggles to restrain his hands from reaching the knife but Carson manages to free himself, grabs the knife and lodges it into Maxwell's chest. When no canon fires, Carson takes a spear and throws it into Maxwell's stomach.

_Boom!_

Just like that the three Careers are dead. That's four today and it's not even noon. Carson retreats to the woods and every bird falls silent. Then, like a warning cry, a bird wails the arrival of the hovercraft as it assembles in the air, lowers the claw to the bodies and scoops them up. As soon as it is gone, the bird start to sing again and Carson darts back to the Cornucopia.

"It's over now, Rye," I say and he lifts up, his eyes red from tears. I look over at Bailey who had watched the whole thing, "I have to get those supplies."

"How are you going to get them? Carson will kill you."

Then I think about my second objective in this arena to get everyone to buddy up. Maybe I can get his join us. Become our ally because that's what Cinna wants me to do anyway, I need those supplies, and it wouldn't hurt to have a muscley guy around to protect us.

"I'm going to make him our ally," I say standing up from our small spot behind the shrubs.

"How?" Bailey asks.

"I don't know yet. But right now, my only option is to walk peacefully and try to reason with him," I say.

"Um, have you forgotten we're in _The Hunger Games_?" says Rye.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's our only option."

"I'm sure we can find another way to get the supplies. Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"I'm trying to get _you_ home."

With that I stand and find an opening that I can enter the field from.

"Stay here. If anything happens to me, get the hell out of here." I say. They both nod and I take a deep breath as I step out into the open. I am shaking and I feel as though I am not walking in a straight line. But I just keep breathing and walk to the Cornucopia calmly. Carson is preoccupied by something inside and doesn't see me as I get closer. I don't want to startle him because I know that when people are startled, we do things before thinking. So I stop about 7 yards from the opening and take another breath before I speak. I wonder, what is the audience is making of this?

"Carson," I say clearly and as friendly as I can without seeming scared. I can act weak. He'll take me down like a blade of grass with that hatchet. He freezes, as if time has stopped and the apple in his hand drops to the ground. He slowly reaches for the hatchet laying on the box beside him and I know he is about to attack me. I have to say something. Quick.

I slowly start to walk to him and I am soon inside of the Cornucopia which is surprisingly cool inside. I am feet behind him and start to say, "Carson, I just wanted to know if you would like to…" Before I can finish the sentence a shockwave of pain is sent up my spine as my back slams against the wall of the Cornucopia. Carson's arm is pinning to the wall and the hatchet is placed suggestively under my chin.

"Well, look here. If it's not the Mockingjay's daughter herself!" he laughs. His arm is starting to cut off my air and I start to gasp. His eyes are a dark brown and are starring me deeper against the wall, "Tell me, why shouldn't I kill you right now?"

"Because…" I gasp, "I wanted to know…if you would like…to be allies."

He knits his eyebrows in confusion at this. He obviously didn't see that one coming. He backs away a little from me allowing more air to enter my lungs until he eventually releases me. I rub a hand over my neck which I know is going to be sore in the morning. His hand still tightly grips the hatchet and he looks me up and down, not sure if I can be trusted or not. Like he didn't expect someone like me to ask him to partner up with him. Not wanting him to think about it too much and decide he would be better off without me, I try get conversation going like I did with Bailey.

"That was some show you put on out there. Impressive," I say.

"Yea, too many years doing that to trees I guess," he says cautiously.

"Well, I know I can't do that. I can't do anything really."

He seems a little surprised by this.

"I imagined that you would be sending arrows into people's hearts just like your mother," he said with a small hint of a smile.

"Well, unfortunately I didn't inherit archery from her. Just her looks. I like to draw and bake. Like my father," I say.

"Hmh, well you can't bake someone to death so I guess you're screwed," he says and I can see the muscles in his arms relax. So I try to keep it up.

"Well my brother and I are both like our Father. So I guess we don't have much hope." I laugh.

"Where is your brother? What's his name, Rick?"

"Rye. He and Bailey are watching us right now. So I'm kind of hoping you don't kill me in front of him," I say.

Carson thinks about this for a minute before he sits the hatchet back down on the box. I take this as a good sign. I was right.

"Okay, I'll be your ally. But don't expect to get any special treatment from me. I'm not going to kiss your ass because your mom almost killed President Snow."

"I don't want special treatment. I want a friend," I look at him for some time before he breaks our gaze and suggests I get Rye and Bailey before they end up dead. I race over to them, not hiding my excitement and rush them to the safety of the Cornucopia. It's now close to 1 in the afternoon. Rye and Bailey enjoy an apple and Carson and I get an idea of what we have to work with. We have a substantial amount of food and several medical supplies. I notice Carson's arm which is still bleeding heavily and suggest that he let me bandage it. He sits on a crate and I wash the wound with water from a bottle (there's like 100 bottles in a crate here) and a rag. Once the blood is gone, I can see how bad it really is. The knife stuck pretty deep. But the only thing I can do is keep out infection. So I find some cream that does just that and begin to gently rub it into the wound. It much sting a little because Carson winces when I apply it. Once the wound is covered in the cream, I take some gauze and wrap it around his arm, securing it with a strip of medical tape.

I learned this from my grandmother. She's the local apothecary and everyone who is injured gets taken to her. Sometimes while I was visiting her, someone would be brought in from the mines or dying of starvation. I would find if fascinating how she cleared everything else from her mind and focused on the patient. She doesn't have much to work with, but she does the best she can. She always told me to keep a wound clean, and keep it wrapped up so germs in the air couldn't get to it. I would soak it all in and memorize it. When I got older, she would even let me help a little and she said that I was a natural born doctor. I once told Mother that I wanted to be a doctor someday, but this only sent her into her room for about three days and I never mentioned it again.

"You're pretty handy when someone gets an injury," says Carson.

"Well, I learned from the best."

Once Carson is cleaned up and bandaged, he asks to speak to me outside. I am a little weary about being alone with this guy. He could be planning on killing me or something. But if we're going to be allies, we are going to have to have trust. So I agree and we step out of hearing rage from Rye and Bailey. He examines the treatment I just gave him.

"You know the other Careers are going to come back here, right? They are probably one their way now," a true look of concern crosses his face.

"What do we do?" I ask.

"Well, there's a small dugout in the woods. We can send the kids there. But if we're going to keep these supplies, we're going to have to fight them off," he says.

I look back at Rye, who knows that something is going on. His apple is no longer his main priority and he locks his eyes on me, trying to make out what we are saying. I look back at Carson and then into the woods.

"How long do we have?"

"I'm not sure. We had better get Rye and Bailey out of here, though."

"Okay, well we can't tell…"

Suddenly stream of long red hair files out of the woods. At first I think its Meybell, but this girl is too tall. It must be the girl from District 7. A tall boy follows her carrying a high-tech looking bow and a sheath of matching arrows. I am a little surprised by this because you probably don't have much time for shooting arrows when your district makes lumber. They come running up and the girl starts to speak, "Carson! They're coming. They careers are…" she spots me and stops running and talking, starring at me in confusion.

"Who is she?" ask the girl.

"Melana, this Danica Mellark. She, her brother and Bailey have requested us as allies," says Carson.

Melana steps closer to Carson and as if I can't hear her even though I am standing right beside her, she whispers, "How do you know we can trust her? You know who her parents are."

Carson laughs, "She's not much of a threat. However if you have any cuts or need someone to bake you a cake, she's pretty useful."

She thinks about this before shaking my hand in alliance. The boy, Braidly, shakes my hand as well. Rye and Bailey have joined us now. We must be a sight for the audience. There are six of us gathered together shaking hands. I wonder what the gamemakers are thinking.

"What were you saying?" Carson asks Melana.

"The Careers are coming. They aren't going to be too happy when they find us instead of the other careers," she says.

"Well, we're going to have to kill them," says Carson as he turns to me, "I'll take Rye and Bailey and hide them in the dugout."

"But…" I start to protest but Carson grabs my hand and shakes it, making our alliance official.

"Trust me, we don't have much time," he says. I reluctantly let him take Rye and Bailey by the hands and whisk them into the bushes.

"Do you have any weapons?" asks Braidly.

"I have a knife," I hold up the small knife and hope that he doesn't laugh. Instead, there is urgency in his voice.

"No, that won't do," he leads me into the Cornucopia and digs through a chest full of all kinds of pointy, sharp and deadly weapons. He pulls out a long, curved sword and hands it to me, "You know how to use one of these?"

"Not really," I say.

"Well, if anyone comes at you, just jab this into them and you should be fine."

Back outside, I see Carson returning from the trees in a sprint. He picks up his hatchet and picks up on of the swords that Raini used.

"So who is left?" asks Melana.

"Everyone from 1, Violet from 3, and Leo from 4," answers Carson.

"So we're five against four. Not too bad," says Braidly.

"Yea, four regulars against five Careers," adds Melana.

"It's not that bad," says Carson, "We just have to figure out how to cripple them enough to take them out."

I get an idea.

"We could surprise them. Hide and then jump them."

Carson takes a look around, "That might just work."

"We can come around from behind the Cornucopia," suggests Braidly.

"We could hide in the woods, wait for them to get just close enough to the Cornucopia and then attack from behind. We can bay them against the Cornucopia and they will have no where to run," says Melana.

"That's perfect," says Carson.

Soon we have a plan. We will split up into two's. Carson and I will hide in the woods to the left and Melana and Braidly will be to the right. When the Careers arrive, we will wait for them to become detracted by the abandoned supplies and when their guard is down, we will file in from behind them and trap them. Melana will give the signal, a simple two tone whistle and then we will attack. I'm not quite sure I am ready to do this. Oh, what have I gotten myself into?

We take our positions and conceal our bodies in the darkness of the tree cover. We wait, anxiously. Every noise, causes me to reach for my sword. It's starting to get late. It's probably getting close to four and my stomach is growling. That won't help us be very secretive. I slap my stomach when it makes a noise whispering, "Be quiet!" This sends Carson into a giggling fit and I start to believe Bailey's theory of everyone from District 7 not being entirely sane. We sit and watch, watch and yawn, yawn and sit and nothing happens. We must sit for over an hour and no one comes. I finally ask Carson if we should abort the mission.

"They're here. I know how they think. They're watching it, probably concealed in the woods somewhere waiting for us. But if we stay here long enough, they'll assume we took what we needed and left. That's when we go for the kill," he whispers.

We keep waiting and waiting and I am starting to worry about Rye. Are they staying in the dugout?

Another hour passes and nothing happens. The sun begins to lean to the west, casting shadows of the surrounding trees over the field. I watch the shadows grow and stretch as they cover more ground. I am leaning against a tree and have almost fallen asleep when rustling is the distance jolt me awake. I must have really become on edge since I entered the games. I crawl back beside Carson just in enough time to see the Careers emerging like a pack of wolves. They are still careful, weapons ready. But the walk slowly to the Cornucopia and our plan starts to take action. They are at the mouth of the Cornucopia, searching through the supplies to see what was taken. Which wasn't anything, really. But it distracts them momentarily and they drop their weapons. That's when Melana gives the signal and we quietly and slowly emerge from the trees and close in on the Cornucopia. We are nearing the sides when we are spotted and the Careers yells shake me to the bone. Busted. Carson lets out a scream that seems rather wild and charges, plunging his hatchet into a Leo's chest. _Boom!_ Melana and Braidly join in eagerly. Melana is running her sword through Violet, _Boom!_ Braidly is sending out arrows like crazy. They miss most of the targets and the boy from District one lunges forward with a knife in hand. Melana is going hand to hand with one of the girls. Soon Melana is pushed to the ground as the Career girl escapes to the woods. Melana quickly regains her feet though and helps end it for the other District 1 girl. _Boom!_

I just watch in horror, not able to move just stand by helplessly and watch. Braidly's scream shakes me from it. I look up to see Braidly on the ground clenching his stomach as the District 1 boy retreats to the woods as well. I run over to Braidly, turn him over, and I almost faint at the sight. Braidly's intestines are literally spilling out of his body. Stand up, and fall right back down again. The world is starting to spin and become blurry and I am awake long enough to see Melana rush to my side and take my head onto her lap. After that, I black out. It was just too much for me.

When I wake up, I am inside of the Cornucopia and it is almost dark outside. I can smell the smoke from the fire outside as Carson is cooking Rye's squirrel. Melana is lying on the ground watching the stars appear and Rye and Bailey are already asleep across from me. I slowly get up and walk outside to join Carson by the fire.

"Is Braidly okay?" I ask even though I know the answer.

"He's dead," Carson says coldly, "Might still be alive is you hadn't stood around like you were stupid or something."

"Carson! It's not her fault," Melana says as she sits up to see us better.

"Of course it's her fault! Her damn Mockingjay mom is why we're in this mess!"

"Carson, calm down!" Melana shouts.

"No! It's the truth. She needs to hear it," he says.

"She can't help who her mother is."

Their feud is interrupted by the anthem and the Capitol seal illuminating the field. Soon faces appear and in all, eight of them appear in the sky tonight. The first is the girl from District 1. Then Raini from 2. Skyler and Violet from 3. Maxwell and Leo from 4. Braidly from 7 and then the small, frail, dark complexioned boy from 11. 24 tributes have died since the games begin and now only 15 of us are left. I have a terrible feeling that these won't be the last to die. The anthem and seal appear again and then everything goes dark again. Only the light from the fire illuminates our faces. I look over at Carson. He stares into the fire and then drops the stick with the squirrel that is now a little overdone, storming off into the Cornucopia to wrap himself up in a sleeping bag. I stay looking at the stupid burnt squirrel, feeling ashamed again for whom I am and where I come from. Melana stands up and asks if I would rather her keep watch or stay up myself. Really, I am afraid of what nightmare sleep will bring to me. Afraid to close my eyes even for a second because there are still two Careers out there who are surely watching us now.

"No, I'll keep watch. You get some sleep," I say. With that she retreats to her own sleeping bag. I have to say that I am exhausted. I feel like I'm running on less than empty if that's even possible. I'm cold, hungry, thirsty, and tired. But I make no attempt to sooth any of these. I stay up all night and watch the fire as it slowly starts to go out. I'm not going into the forest to get more wood and risking getting a sword in my gut like Braidly did. I'll just keep my eyes and ears open and enjoy the stars that shine down on me in this open space. It's actually kind of nice out here. I could even see myself living out here, away from the world, away from my life as Danica Mellark, the Mockingjay's daughter. Out here alone and free with the birds. I wonder what ever happened to that storm the gamemakers were preparing. Maybe they realized they were getting enough action for today.

I remember the cookies that Father gave me and still haven't touched. I reach into my pocket and the small cookies are still in tact and the icing has hardened so it is still in place as well. However, it is still as delicious when I sink my teeth into one, letting to sweet icing melt on my tongue.

"Thanks Dad," I say looking up at the sky. Once the first one is gone, I can't help but eat a second one. But I decide I should be smart about eating them. There may come a time when this is all that I have. So I wrap the back up carefully and put them back in their pouch.


	8. Rye's Screams

**Hey yall! Trying to make the story better but no one will review! So please review and help me! Thanks! 3**

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With only 5 other people in our alliance, we are still rather out numbered. There are 10 other people looking for blood and two of them are careers. That night I sat there thinking about everything that Effie had told me. About Cinna, my mom, my dad, the rebellion. Cinna had better hurry up if he's going to safe a decent amount of people. Otherwise, more of us are going to die. And I am not going to let that happen to Rye. I still don't fully believe that I will make it out of this alive. So I still focus my attention on getting Rye out of here and back into the arms of our parents. Rye is still my number 1 priority. I also must admit that I can't help but feel as though Braidly's death is my fault. Carson is right. I just stood there. I could have helped him and he would be here now if I hadn't "stood around like I was stupid or something". The whole night I watch the sky as the stars move, making room for the sun. When the sun finally arrives, the stars leave the picture completely and only the sun takes up the sky. Not once did I move away from the fire pit. I just sat there in the dark, listening and watching. Around 7 or 8, I hear movement behind me, but I stay put. I don't turn to see is up. I just sit there. I am surprised when I see Carson out of the corner of my eye, taking a seat beside me on the ground. He sits there in silence for a while, like he was trying to figure out what to say. However, I personally don't give a crap if he says anything.

"Morning," he says awkwardly as he clears his throat.

My only response is pathetic attempt to flash a smile which doesn't even last two seconds.

"Look, we kind of started this whole, alliance thing on the wrong foot. And what I said last night was wrong of me. So, I'm sorry."

"No," I reply, "You were right. It's my fault we are in this mess."

"No, that's not true. You're the reason we made it this far. You came up with that plan, which was brilliant by the way."

"Yeah, and now Braidly is dead."

He takes what I have said in and then speaks again.

"Listen, your mother did some wonderful things for Panem. She was so close to ending these games for good. Snow was just too sneaky. She did what you are doing for Rye. Protecting the one's you love. Only she volunteered to take Prim's place. You should be very proud to call her your mother," he answers.

Several things are going through my mind at this moment. One of them being what my mother is thinking as she is watching this back in 12. The second thing is the fact that my mother volunteered for aunt Prim. Wait a second. That's why no one can volunteer anymore because last time that happened, it start a whole rebellion. Wow, that is so brave of her. And when I think about it, I would have done the same thing for Rye. No doubt.

"I mean, Katniss would send arrows flying like a machine gun. She had real talent. A gift," Carson adds, "So, on that note…"

He stands from the ground and walks into the Cornucopia. I don't bother to watch what he's doing but before long he's back. Braidly's bow and arrows in hand.

"I think he would have wanted you to have these," Carson sits the sheath of arrows on the ground and places the bow delicately in my hands.

"Carson, I told you. Archery is one of the things I didn't inherit from my mom. I'm just not any good at shooting arrows," I say.

"Maybe you are. You just haven't discovered it yet."

Carson takes my hand and pulls me to my feet. He leads me out into the open field and makes a make-shift target out of one of many extra sleeping bags we found in the Cornucopia. He shows me how to string it and everything else. But when I pull the string back it's rather stiff and doesn't want to give. I struggle for a moment until I finally am able to pull the string back far enough to just get it in flight. The way my arms are arranged feels so awkward and I know I am doing something wrong. That's when Carson steps in and runs his hand along my raised arm and slightly pushes down. I don't know why but this not only makes me feel a little embarrassed to have him touching me, but this also makes my arm feel a lot better. The muscles in my forearm are not as strained. I can also pull back on the string a little more.

"Alright, once you get into position, lock your eyes on your target and block out everything else. Take your aim and release," he says as he steps back to give me some space. Either that or he's scared he'll end up with and arrow in him.

I take a deep breath and exhale, locking my eyes on the small circle that Carson drew on the sleeping bag with crushed berries that he found. He says that hundreds and hundreds of years ago, people who lived here were call Native Americans or Indians. They used these crushed berries for war paint and dyes. I ask him how he knows this and he says he loves history. He says if people knew more about our past, maybe we would learn from our mistakes. But since most of Panem is deprived of that kind of knowledge, mainly because the Capitol doesn't want them to know _too_ much, we don't have that kind of opportunity. Carson says his family has books that have been passed down from generation to generation about history. When the peacekeepers raided the family's home back in the first rebellion and this one, they had to hide it so they would be taken away. So far they are doing a pretty good job.

I aim the best I can for that little target and then release the arrow from my hand.

If I have my mother's talent with a bow and arrows, then I'm going to have to do a lot of practice before I "discover" it because the arrow I shoot lands around 5 feet to far to the left and soars past the sleeping bag. My shoulders slouch in defeat.

"That was good! Now just try to aim a little straighter this time," Carson allows me to string the arrow by myself this time. Again, I struggle to get the string pulled back but I lower my arm and the string pulls straight into position. I lock my eyes; take a deep breath and release. This time, the arrow sails above and beyond the target and I believe I hear a bird squawk as it falls to the ground.

"I can't do this," I say turning around on my heal to face him.

"Danica, that's the second arrow you have shot in your whole live. Give it time."

I turn back and release another arrow into the trees. I feel like I am getting worse than better. I shoot about four more and the third almost sticks in the very edge of the bag but pathetically falls to the ground with a thump. Eventually Carson says that's enough for right now and that we need to get back to the Cornucopia where it's safe. He leaves our target for later and we stride back to see that Melana, Rye and Bailey are all up and apparently bored from watching my failed attempts at archery.

"So what do we do today?" Melana asks as we approach.

"I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"Well we can't just sit here like lumps on a log."

"Maybe we should go hunting," Carson suggests.

"That sounds fun. I've seen a lot of squirrels and rabbits around. Maybe we…" I am interrupted by Carson.

"We don't mean animals," he says with a laugh.

"You mean, people?"

"Well yeah. We've got to start clearing the place out if this thing is ever going to end."

I can't hunt people down and kill them. That's just not something I think I can do. I'm not supposed hunt down the other tributes and stab them literally in the back. I'm supposed to unite everyone and save as many lives as I can until Cinna can rescue us.

"No, I don't think we should do that," I say.

"And what do you suppose we do?" asks Melana.

"I don't know. But if we do that, we'll be no better than the careers," as these words leave my mouth, Rye stands up and takes his place beside me.

"I agree with Danica and not because she's my sister. This is something the Careers would do. It's not right," he says.

"We will have to kill them eventually," Carson tries to reason.

"But maybe we won't," I say. But I immediately become afraid that I have said too much out loud. Oh, good job Danica. They are probably arresting Cinna as we speak and are planning some natural disaster inside of the arena to painfully take me out. Maybe striking me with lightning or a wave of smog that melts my skin off of my face. I can see on the other's faces that I have only confused them. I try to recover.

"Look, just not today," I say.

"Danica, we have no choice. Its why were here. To kill each other. And eventually…" he trails off before he brings up what is in the back of all of our minds. Our alliance will eventually be broken and we will eventually have to kill one another.

_Have faith._

Wait, we won't have to do that. Cinna is going to get us out of here! But Carson doesn't know that. Maybe it's time I let my allies in on the secret. But when and how? I can't just blurt it out. Then our plan will be compromised and people will die. This is going to be harder than I thought.

Carson picks up the bow and sheath. He drapes the sheath over my shoulder and firmly places the bow in my hands. Everyone gathers their weapons. Even Rye makes sure he has one of our knives. But I am sure it is only for protection incase he would need it. He would never kill anyone or hunt them down and cut out their hearts.

Carson decides that he's going to stay to keep watch and after watching him wipe out the other two careers, I agree. Rye is obviously coming with me because with Carson's thirst for blood, who knows what he would do to Rye. Or, someone could attack and Rye would get caught in the middle of things. Carson could get hurt and not be able to protect Rye from their attacker. I will feel much better with him by my side. We decide to stay in a sort of line-like formation. Melana will walk up front. To protect the younger ones, I volunteer to take up the back and have Rye in front of me. That way I can see him at all times and always stay no more than a step behind him.

We make quiet steps and our weapons are ready at all times. Our senses are magnified by fear and my need to protect Rye. I raise my hand to an arrow in my sheath at every sudden and suspicious sound, even though I still have no clue what I am really doing. I relax when I realize it's a bird or a couple of squirrels chasing each other up the trees. I even tensed up when a twig snapped under my own boot. That one really made me feel stupid.

We start to enter a group of tall oak trees and their branches run together and intertwine form a sort of canopy above us. There's little light and what little light that we have is what slips in through openings between leaves. The ground is moist and sponge like. Jungle. An image of one of the ferocious monkeys with fang from the stories I've heard in school about my parents second games flashes before my eyes. I pull an arrow out of the sheath and string it. The sounds in this area of the arena is much different that the rest. What unknown dangers and Capitol tricks lay waiting for us out here? Are those monkeys watching us right now, waiting to pounce? We walk for about an hour and a half and come up empty handed. So we stop to take a break at a river and Melana pulls out a water purifying kit from the pouch in her pants-leg. She refills our bottles with clean fresh water and sit for a while surrounded by rocks that are rather large. Larger than any I have ever seen. Some are well above 5 feet from the ground at their peak. But we find some nice flat ones closer to the ground and rest. Around us we are surrounded by wild flowers that have bloomed into beautiful bright decorations which contrast nicely with the surrounding green. The water is clear and you see the sandy bottom and small schools of fish swimming along with the current. Bailey and Rye sort of make a game of trying to catch the little fish in their hands. Bailey is just giggling up a storm when she accidentally flings a tiny little fish in Rye's face. The little fish lands on the ground, flopping and flipping, gasping to breathe. Rye picks it up and drops it back into the water and they both return to their rocks.

"It's beautiful out here!" Bailey is looking up into the tree tops and around at the flowers.

"It's deadly too. That's how's Keelie went," says Melana as she takes a sip of her water.

"Who was Keelie?" I ask.

"She was the girl from District 9. After watching the recaps of the reaping, I already decided I wanted her as an ally. So we paired up and were coming through this jungle to meet up with Carson and Braidly. Kind of how you went looking for your brother."

I look over at Rye only for second before looking back at Melana.

"Anyway, we were crossing the river when some kind of lizard thing jumped out from the bushes. This thing was pretty wicked looking. Sharp long teeth and claws, scaly skin that was blue and red and green mixed together. It stood on its hind legs and its front claws just hung uselessly in front of them."

"You were attacked…by a dinosaur?" Rye asks questioningly. Bailey can't help but giggle. Everyone knows that dinosaurs don't exist anymore. We are deprived of much information in District 12. But to keep us from going into the woods, they tell us stories of creatures that long ago existed in Panem or what they used to call North America and are now extinct. Animals that were ten times the size of some building in the Capitol and could swallow a person whole. They even had pictures of the bones of these animals that were dug up from the ground by our ancestors. We know they are no longer roaming the stretches of land that surround our Districts, but it raises questions of what _is _still out there.

"Wouldn't surprise me," replies Melana.

"Were there more of them?" I ask.

"Who knows what all is in here? Or what is even out there, in the real world."

Sometimes I do wonder what is still out there and not in the way that I am afraid of it. I am actually curious as to what I am missing out on. The "flesh eaters" are out there, but my mom used to go into the woods everyday. I wonder what other lies the Capitol has been telling us to keep us in our little civilization and deprive us of our freedom. What really happened after the flood and storms? How did Panem really come to be?

After a while, we have to continue. It's close to noon now and our stomachs are aching to be filled. So we do a little hunting as we walk and end up with three squirrels and a rabbit to take back to the Cornucopia. This should be enough feed us for a while. Plus this gives me a chance to practice my archery. Although, there is one this I don't seem to understand. Why would Carson teach me to shoot arrows, knowing perfectly well that my mother is Katniss Everdeen and that eventually I will be trying to kill him? Why would you better your enemy? Plus something that Carson said has me confused. "He would have wanted you to have it." Why would Braidly have wanted me to have his bow and arrows? It kind of racks my brain. But I'm not any good at it so maybe that is why he isn't too worried. Still, this is the Hunger Games. It just seems to rub me the wrong way. I shot one of the squirrels which was the highlight of my day and it almost makes me forget about the 7 arrows that I missed that very same squirrel with. I tie my squirrel by its tail to the strap of my sheath and we continue our walk.

We walk for about another hour and find nothing but an uncommonly large lizard that stopped in front of us, stared us down for a little while, flick his tongue out at us and then waddled back into the greenery. I'm starting to believe Melana's dinosaur story. Bailey and Rye start to complain about having to walk so much.

"Danica, my feet hurt."

"I'm ready to go back to the Cornucopia."

"Why is it taking so long to get back?"

"What are we looking for out here, anyway?"

"Rye! Would you shut up?" I begin to worry that I may have hurt his feelings, but he simply rolls his eyes and continues in silence. That's when I hear what makes my body freeze and my heart stop beating all together. I hear a whisper.

"Rye," I say quietly. He turns to face me, "I thought I asked you to shut up."

"I didn't say anything," he starts to get defensive and I know it wasn't him. Melana is beside me and she hadn't said anything and Bailey hasn't said anything since we left the river. I even had to look around Rye's shoulder to make sure she was still there. So I don't think it was her.

"Now!" someone shouts from behind us and I hear loud thumps and the sound of footfall. Running. Rye's blue eyes grow wide as stares past me. I whip around to see a girl and a boy running towards us, swords and spears ready. I stand there like I did the night before when Braidly was killed. I stand like a statue and watch as Melana runs up and runs her sword through the boy's stomach. Suddenly, I see a flash as the other girls knife flies past Melana, ripping her shirt and cutting her ribs. She clenches her side and grits her teeth in pain. She falls to the ground and look around for Carson or Braidly to come running in and take over. That's when I remember, I'm the only one left. I can't force Bailey or Rye to go up against that. The other girl straddles Melana and pins her arms down with her knees. She searches her jacket for her choice of weapon to finish Melana off. Melana wiggles one arm free and tries to grab the knife but the other girl catches on and traps her arm again, slapping Melana across the face before raising the knife into stabbing position. I don't know what happens to me, but something snaps. I look over at Rye and Bailey and down at the bow in my hand. I know it will be of no use and I have to do something now. Because Melana is my ally. If I am going to unite the others, I have to prove that I will have their backs if I am able. I drop the bow to the ground and bolt for Melana and shove the other girl down to the mushy jungle floor. I pin her to the ground, the knife still clutched in her hand. I pry her hand open and throw the knife into the trees. With both hands applying pressure against her arms, I lean close to her face, staring her into the ground below us. _Boom! _The boy Melana ran through is now gone. Bailey and Rye have rushed to Melana's aid and she half crawls and is half carried away from me and the other tribute girl. She has fear in her eyes as she realizes she's probably on her way out of this world.

"Do it quick, will you," she asks.

"I'm not going to kill you," I say and the dumbfounded look on her face is priceless.

"What?" Melana gasps behind us.

"What? Are you going to torture me? Pluck out my eyes or something?" the girls voice has a hint of mockery in her voice.

"Listen, you have two options. Either go back into those woods and starve with no protection, or join our alliance."

"Are you crazy?" Melana is screaming now.

"I'll just have to kill you later anyway," the girl answers.

I lean as close to her ear as I can and whisper as quietly as I can.

"There are things you don't know. Things that could change Panem forever."

When I rise up, my words are obviously starting to take effect.

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"What's your name?"

"Jessie."

I stand up and offer her my hand in friendship to help her up as well. That's when the arrow shoots out from the trees. A sharp pain consumes my body. I fall to the ground and the last thing I remember is Rye's screams and the sight on blood on my hand when I lift it up from my stomach.


	9. Survivors

The Cornucopia is dark and bitterly cold. Outside the fire is glowing strong and illuminating the mouth where I can see it is well into the night. The stars are already out and I am wrapped up snuggly into my sleeping bag. Water and bandages lie beside me on the ground. I look around but find Rye's sleeping bag is empty. No one is inside the Cornucopia or around the fire. Am I…dead? No I can't be dead. I have to protect Rye. I have to get him home. I feel soreness in my abdomen and then the memories start to come back to me. Jessie attacking Melana, me pushing Jessie to the ground and then offering her an alliance, and then the arrow. Rye's screams play again and again in my head. The whole thing started getting a little foggy once I started losing a fair amount of blood. It didn't even seem like my blood either. It was like I was watching someone else bleed to death in the arena. I remember Rye taking my face into his hands and whispering something. After that I blacked out. I try to listen for the sound of other voices but it's as if the Cornucopia is abandoned. Where is Rye? I have to find him. I start to rise up from the sleeping bag but a searing pain forces me back to the ground as strangled cries escape my body and echo through the Cornucopia. Then I hear someone running to me but I am in so much pain I can't even open my eyes to see who. I feel a reassuring hand rest on my shoulder and I hear soft whispers to stay still and that I need to stay in the Cornucopia. I feel something cold and soothing dab my forehead. Once I get still, the pain starts to subside some and I open my eyes to see Bailey kneeling beside me. She removes the rag from my forehead which must be soaked in cold water. She dunks it in a bucket, then rings it out and places it back on my forehead.

"Bailey where is everyone? Where's Rye?" I can hear the urgency in my own voice.

"Rye is fine. He's a little shaken up, but he's fine. Carson is looking after him. You just need to lie here and rest," I am surprised by the maturity that this scrawny little 12 year old is showing at a time like this.

"What happened? I am alive aren't I?" I ask seriously.

Bailey laughs and then from behind her Melana walks in with some squirrel on a stick which I hope is for me.

"Yeah, you're alive," Melana has trouble surprising her smile as she hands the squirrel to Bailey.

"After the boy from 8 shot you, Rye had a panic attack. He was screaming and gasping and…"

"The boy from 8? I thought you killed him?" I interrupt Melana.

"The _other_ boy from 8. He was hiding in the bushes. I guess he had heard the commotion and decided to join the fun. Didn't end to well for him though."

"Jessie killed him," Bailey picks off a bit of squirrel and hold it to my mouth, "Here, you need to eat."

I don't object. I willingly accept the squirrel and enjoy the juicy flavor that flows through my mouth. She keeps picking off and I keep eating until every bit of meat it gone from the stick.

"Jessie killed him?" I must admit that this surprises me that she would so suddenly become protective of her ally.

"Yeah. I didn't see it because I too busy trying to stop the bleeding. But Jessie was covered head to toe in blood from the boy when she came out of the bushes. We fixed you up the best we could and somehow we got you back here," says Melana

"Was that it for tonight? Just those two?" I ask.

"That was it. But you sure gave Carson a scare."

Then Rye walks in and Carson follows closely behind him, encouraging him to take those last few steps to his sister. He stands scared and hangs his head down like he is afraid to come to me which is odd. I extend my hand towards him and Bailey and Melana give stand to give us room.

"Come here, sweetheart," this subtle mention of our father's nickname for us breaks the ice. He runs and plunges into me which causes a bit of pain but I ignore it for Rye's sake. I just let him lay his head on my shoulder and lie beside me as I stoke his hair.

"I thought I had lost you," he whimpers.

"Oh, you can't get rid of me that easy," but this fails to extract the giggle that I was hoping for. So we lay there for a while just embracing each other, happy that we're both still alive.

"Okay, buddy. Why don't you let me talk to you sister. You go help Melana and Jessie with that rabbit," Carson steps in. I really don't want Rye to leave, but I release him and he trots back outside. Carson comes to my side and sits on the ground propping one leg up to rest his arm on. He looks at me for a little while and I begin to feel a little uncomfortable. I can feel my cheeks start to heat up and I know I am blushing.

"How do you feel?" his voice is so soft and caring that it takes me back. What is up with his kindness these days? Is this just because were allies?

"I'm alright, I guess. A little sore."

"Well you're going to be a lot sore the next couple of days," he laughs, "But there's something I don't quite understand."

His face is serious and his eyes are staring me down so hard that I almost want to hide under the sleeping bag.

"Why won't you kill anyone?"

"What, what do you mean?" a nervous laugh escapes me.

"Everyone you run into, you want them to be your ally. Why? When you know you'll just have to kill them later?"

There's that feeling again. The feeling like I'm a horrible person because I am keeping everyone else out of the loop. What do they call that? Oh yeah, guilt. I know I have to tell the entire alliance eventually. They not only need to know so our cover isn't blown, but they also have a right. I know I hate it when I am deprived of information because I am thought to not be able to handle it or understand. I just don't know how to do it without tipping off the Capitol. I need something to drown out my voice from the cameras but not from the people around me. Something really loud. I wish I could pull everyone out onto the balcony where I talked to Effie. The wind would surely keep our words from prying ears.

"Well, there's a time for…stuff like that. But…I'm awfully tired and sore so I should rest. The best time for that would be during…a thunderstorm or something when we have nothing better to do." I am hoping he will translate my hint as easily as I translated Effie's.

"Right," he nods, "Okay then. Get some rest."

Before he leaves he places his hand on my forearm which I am sure is just a comforting gesture. But it sends chill up my spine and through my whole being. I feel the blushing again.

I am alone again in this dark cold Cornucopia and I close my eyes and try to sleep. But too many things are on my mind once again. I hope Rye is not too worried about me. Him seeing me all sweaty and in pain wasn't the best of Carson's ideas but I am hoping that it helped Rye to see me alive. I make a mental note to try to sit up tomorrow no matter how much it hurts and no matter what Bailey and Melana say. I will try for Rye. I also worry that Carson may have not understood my hint. I hope he did because this secret mission thing is driving me insane. I need to tell someone about it before my head explodes. If my action have been so obvious to Carson, have they been that obvious to everyone else? To the Capitol? Have I already ruined the mission and put many lives in danger? How are my parents handling seeing an arrow lodge into their daughter's body? Do they think I am going to die? Are they already preparing a funeral for me back in 12? People do that. When a tribute is injured and the chances of survival are very low, the family will plan the funeral before the person even dies because they know that the tribute will most likely not make it home. All of these things are boiling inside of me, building my anxiety. I feel the need to get up and walk off the stress but I can't do that. So I just start counting backwards, starting at 100 until I eventually drift away somewhere around 70.

I wake up several times during the night, aching and sweating like crazy. Melana has to get up a couple of times to give me a shot of low-dose Morphling that she found. I recognized it because my grandmother uses Morphling to help patient during procedures or to just get them through the night. Kind of how it's helping me. I asked her how she knew it would help me and she said that her mother runs the apothecary shop in District 7 and Melana used to help her. She said they get a lot of business being the lumber district. People get fingers cut off all the time by a misguided ax and legs amputated when someone got pinned under a fallen tree.

I am thankful when I finally wake to see early morning light and hear the birds start to chirp. Everyone is still sleeping and Rye is laying close beside me in his sleeping bag. To my right, Bailey is also fast asleep, her back turned to me. Outside Carson is still keeping watch while Jessie is roasting what looks like a wild turkey. Judging by the feathers that are strewn across the ground. She must have waked up early to go hunting. That's actually rather smart. Most tributes wouldn't be up this early so you wouldn't be in as much danger. Melana is the one snoring this morning on the other side of the Cornucopia but I leave her be. Everything seems so peaceful this morning except for the throbbing pain in my stomach. Beside me is a bottle of pill and some water. I pick up the bottle and the label reads Mild Pain Killers. Maybe this will help me. I inch my way painfully into a slouching/sitting position to where I can drink the water without drowning myself. I open the bottle and pop two of the small blue pills into my mouth. I open the bottle of water and take a couple of sips to wash down the pills. I slide back down into my sleeping bag and close my eyes.

When I open them again, it's darker inside than usual. When I look outside I can see the strange cloud cover which must mean we will be getting rain today. Rye is still huddled up close to me but everyone else is huddled around the fire. I guess it must be around time to eat. I think about calling someone in here to bring me something. But if I am going to protect Rye, I need to get back on my feet as soon as possible. It's going to be extremely painful, but I will just have to deal with it. Rye is still my number one priority. Again, I raise myself into a painful slouch/sitting position. Only this time I try to sit all the way up. Bending the tender skin and compressing the organs inside is excruciating. But I have no choice. I eventually get my back straight against the wall. I am gasping and sweating. My stomach is throbbing and I want to scream. But screaming isn't going to get me up and moving again. I slowly bunch up my legs, bending my knees so that my feet are flat on the ground. With my back pressed against the wall, I push my feet down on the ground and slide up until I am standing. Once I am all the way up, I start feeling the effects of losing so much blood. I become dizzy and short of breath and I feel myself starting to sway a little. I close my eyes and take a couple of deep breaths before I start for the mouth of the Cornucopia. I have to walk around Rye before I can get back to the wall to stabilize myself. I slowly make my way around Rye's sleeping form and get back to the wall. I run my hands along the wall as I walk. If the bleeding didn't kill me, the pain very well might. Under my shirt I can feel a bandage of gauze that Bailey must have wrapped around my waste last night. I can feel in the general area of my pain, the bandage is becoming damp with blood. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. But I have made it this far so I'm going to at least make it to the fire. I am inches from rest of the group when Bailey shrieks.

"Danica! What are doing out of bed? You not strong enough to stand up yet!" Bailey rushes over to me but I quickly brush her off.

"It's okay Bailey, I'm fine."

"Just as stubborn as her mother," I hear Carson say as he chews a piece a turkey.

I walk slowly over to the fire and wince as I sit down beside Carson. He hands me a chunk of turkey and it's gone within seconds. I am really not feeling up to sitting out here with everyone else considering that I just got a arrow in the stomach and the loss of blood makes me feel like I have overdose on Morphling. But I stay outside because honestly, I think I would go crazy if I was left in there with only the thoughts. So I try to focus on the conversation instead of the pain. Somehow, we start talking about our families, life back in the districts. We talked about reaping day and what we thought of the Capitol when we first saw it. Since we have no contact with any of the other districts, I was really interested to hear about what life was like in the rest of Panem. Some of them have it better and some have it worse. It just depends on where you're from.

Melana starts, talking about how she was raised in the poorer side of District 7. She's the youngest of 6 children. Being the only girl in the house other than her apothecary mother, she got stuck doing the cooking and cleaning. But her favorite thing to do is sew. She makes all of the clothes in her family. Her brothers would go off to work in the woods and come back smelling like pine trees. So the house also smells like pines. Her oldest brother, Marty was killed when a tree crushed him because no one yelled to warn him.

Bailey is the oldest of 3. She usually helps her father take care of the animals and feed them. Her father's dream is own his own farm and raise cattle to be processed. But the poor family can barely get enough money to buy food. Bailey also has a pet pig that was a runt about to be killed. But she fell in love with it and raised it. It stays at the farm she and her father works at.

Jessie is an only child and lives in the merchant part of District 6. She doesn't go into much detail, but I think she spends her nights usually in other guy's beds. But she loves to sing. She sings to the younger kids that she takes care of while their parents are at work in the factories.

I start off talking about how Rye and I are the only children. We live in the seam but our parents always make sure we have plenty to eat. I mention that I didn't really know much about my parent's role in the rebellion until I was reaped. I mention my father's episodes and how my mother knew they would reap me one day. I just never expected that they would reap both me and Rye. When I came to the Capitol, it all started to fall into place. Why the rules are the way they are. Why my mother knew I would end up in the arena.

After my story, it's Carson's turn. He stares into the fire for a while before he starts to speak. Nothing could prepare me for what he was about to say.

"My little brother and I lived in the District 7 version of the Seam. Only we didn't have such loving, caring parents like you did. Our mom died when I was 7. Jason was only 4 so he didn't remember much about her. But I would always tell him stories about her. Our father worked hard in the woods, did his best to take care of us. But we never saw him sober. A year later, Jason and I were walking in the town square, looking in the windows. Just enjoying being out of the Seam for a change. I had become distracted by a toy store and Jason some how wondered off," he tosses a stick into the fire to keep it going.

"I hear a gunshot and that's when I realize that he's not there anymore," Carson's voice is becoming strained and I can tell he's trying to hold back tears. After a pause, he continues, "When I find him, he's on ground and bleeding." He's starting to lose control and the tears are starting to fall from his eyes, but he finishes the story, "The peacekeepers killed him for stealing a roll of bread. He was just five. He didn't know any better. He was dead before I realized he was missing."

Everyone is silent around our small fire. We can hear the rumble of thunder in the distance, a perfect illustration for Carson's story. Good job gamemakers.

We all feel as though we should say something, but we all feel like we should keep our mouths shut at the same time. As a result, we sit around the fire as is crack and pops and listen to the thunder growing closer and closer until Carson breaks the silence himself.

"I'm sorry," he wipes his eyes, "I shouldn't have talked about it."

But that's not true. I now have a new respect for Carson because of it. This guy loses his little brother, something I am terrified of. Yet he carried on with life. He may have ended up here, but he is still alive. If something happened to Rye, my heart would stop beating. Rye is my family, my brother, my best friend. I can't even begin to imagine the pain and sorrow I would feel and hatred I would feel towards the Capitol. That would be on top of what I already feel about them. This is what drives me to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. It seems to take him by surprise but he has seen the bond that I share with Rye and sees the true sharing of his pain in my eyes. So he places his hand on top of mine.

A loud clap of thunder startles me and I jump and twist around in the direction of the thunder, sending a terrible pain through my body. I clutch my side and I can feel the blood start to flow freely again.

"Come on," Melana helps me to my feet and inside. Bailey joins us and they both lay me back down beside Rye who is still asleep. Melana lifts up my shirt which I must admit makes me little uncomfortable but I let her work. She removes the gauze and cleans the wound with a rag. It stings when she runs the fabric against the raw skin, but soon she replaces the bandage and gives me two more of the blue pills. They bring me fresh water and cool rags for my forehead and rejoin the others outside. As I lay there I think about Carson's story, his little brother that the peacekeepers killed in cold blood. How could anyone kill something so sweet? I have almost come to the conclusion that Capitol people and peacekeepers have no hearts. I look at my little Rye, so sweet and innocent. I strain to lean over and place a kiss on his cheek, but I manage to do it. I watch him as he sleeps; the slight rise and fall of his chest as he breathes. Soon the pain and loss of blood is too much and I pass out.

* * *

**Hey yall :) Thank you so much for the reviews it means soooo much! Please continue to help me out with this and I know this Chapter is a little slow, but remember that Danica just got shot with an arrow. But don't worry, it's all leading up to something BIG. 3**


	10. Building A New Panem

I stare out of the mouth of the Cornucopia and watch the rain as it drenches the ground, even building up in some spots to make small puddles. It's falling relentlessly and you would be soaked in seconds if you had no shelter. Everyone is inside and asleep except for Carson who is keeping watch again tonight. He stares out at the rain like he's lost in his own little world. I start to say something to him, but I know that nothing I say could heal the pain from the loss of his little brother. So I just watch the rain with him. It's dark out and I only woke up about an hour ago so my guess is that I slept well into the night. I'm just glad I'm still alive. I think I'm still alive. The rain hitting the metal Cornucopia is unbelievably loud; you would have to shout at a person who was inches from you. I am back in my slouch/sitting position against the wall. It's a little uncomfortable but better than being flat on my back again. I have been watching the rain for quite some time when Carson seems to snap back to reality and realize that I am conscious again.

"Hey, how long have you been awake?" he shouts over the rain.

"A while," I answer. I save his dignity by leaving out that he's been unaware of his surroundings for over an hour.

I wiggle my way out of the sleeping bag and push my back against the wall with my feet on the ground like I did earlier. Carson starts to protest my getting up, but before he can say anything, I'm standing up again. I slowly walk over to the mouth clutching my side. I make it without my wound bleeding again so I must be getting better. I sit beside him and lean against the Cornucopia, catching my breath from the 7 foot walk to Carson.

"You're more like your mother than you think, Danica," he says.

"How so?"

"You're just as stubborn, you're determined to get your little brother home which I guess is why you're pushing yourself so hard."

"Hmh, I guess you're right. Any names in the sky tonight?"

"No, not tonight," Carson says.

We sit in silence before he speaks again.

"So, it the time right yet?"

I immediately know what he's talking about. He wants answers. Maybe I should tell him. It would be nice to have someone else aware of the plan. Maybe he can even help me carry this thing through without going crazy. The rain on the Cornucopia should conceal our words from the cameras. But just as an extra precaution, I lean close to his ear and cover my mouth as I speak.

"The rebellion isn't over. It's still going on. When I was on the train, Effie told me that my mother's stylist, Cinna is still alive and that he runs an underground rebel group that is planning to kill Snow. Cinna wanted me to be the new Mockingjay and unite the tributes in the arena. When they kill Snow, they'll rescue us."

I pull away, letting my words soak in for a moment and I can see on his face that he is surprised and rather confused. Then, almost as if something inside of him clicks, his face goes from confusion, to understanding.

"Wait, so that's Braidly wanted me to protect you," he says.

Now it's my turn to be confused.

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

"Well, before he died, after you passed out, he told me that I had to protect you. Made me promise. That it would change Panem forever. He told me to give the bow and arrows to you and teach you to use them. I thought he was nuts. It all makes sense now. Cinna hired him to protect you."

Wow, so I wasn't alone in this after all.

"But why would he choose Braidly to protect me?"

"Probably because his mother is Johanna Mason. She's a close friend of your mothers. Or at least they were during the rebellion."

"Wow, what else do you know about my mother?" I ask, almost laughing.

"No much, just a lot about the history of Panem."

"Tell me about it," I say.

He looks surprised that I would show interest in it, but he starts to tell me about our nations past. Hundreds of years ago, people who lives across the ocean in a land called Great Britain came over to what used to be North America and settled here. They called it the New World. They had it pretty hard. Harder than some people in Panem. No food at all, torn rotten clothes and disease. After a while, things started to get better and they formed what they called the Colonies. But they were still under the rule of the British. Soon, like the Capitol, Britain began to abuse that control and Colonies rebelled.

"They knew what they were up against. The British had the best army and navy in the world. Yet the rebels had faith that good would overcome evil. They were terribly out numbered and they didn't have the training that the British did," Carson says.

"Sound's a lot like the Dark Days," I say.

"Yeah, but this is what the Capitol didn't want the rest of Panem to know. The rebels won. Against all odds, the Colonies defeated the British and they formed a new government where every man was created equal under God. Freedom. The United States of America. They built that new world."

"So how did we end up here?" I ask.

"Well that's the sad part I guess. The government started declining and times started to get hard around the year 2024. Then, when the floods came and the sea swallowed cities whole, it was just too much and the economy fell. The storms killed thousands and with no order, people started going by instincts. They fought and killed each other over what little sustenance remained and that's when the government of Panem came to be. People thought that things were turning around. That order would be restored and life would continue as it had. Only the government had other ideas. They took over, separated the people among themselves and abused their control. Its funny how history repeats itself."

"What led up to the Dark Days?" I ask, seriously interested.

"People finally started to catch on and they didn't like it. They thought they could out do the Capitol like the Colonist did the British. But after the crippling effect the disasters had," he pauses, "they didn't stand a chance."

"Then came The Hunger Games," I add.

"Right."

I lean close to his ear again to make sure no one can hear my words other than Carson.

"But you know, we'll have a chance to build a new Panem. With the same freedoms that North America once knew."

"I hope your right. So, who else knows about this plan?"

"No one. Just you."

"You're going to have to tell the others, you know."

"How?" I honestly have no idea how I can tell the other tributes with out screaming it to Snow himself. Everything is recorded here.

"I can't think of a better time than now. I mean, you have the cover of the rain. The cameras can't pick you up with all of this noise. We're all close together under the Cornucopia. We just need to wake them up."

I think about this. I seriously take time to think about waking everyone up and blurting out this crazy plan that was construed by a dead man. They won't take me seriously. I know they won't.

"Why do they have to know?" I ask.

"So they won't kill each other."

He's got a point there.

"So does this mean you'll help me? Help me unite the other tributes?"

"Only for you, Mockingjay."

I start to painfully get up and help Carson wake the others, but immediately stops me, telling me that I had better stay put or I'll be in more pain than just from the arrow. I know he's joking of course, so I just smirk. I can't believe it, but he wakes up everyone under the Cornucopia. Melana's first reaction is to grip something sharp beside her. But once Carson assures her that nothing is wrong, she just thinks he's crazy. He wakes up Rye and Bailey who sleepily wipe their eyes like the small children they are. Jessie grumbled under her breath which I am sure is full of every obstinacy known to District 6. Carson gathers everyone around me and helps me to my feet. I start to stutter, not really wanting to just blurt it out to everyone. So Carson steps in and explains everything to them. Starting with Cinna all the way to why I didn't kill Jessie.

Their first reaction is surprise. They stand with confused and questioning looks on their faces. Then other emotions begin to surface ranging from acceptance to anger.

"It's brilliant. The Capitol will be completely distracted by the inner rebellion and Cinna could easily sneak in assassinate Snow," Jessie obviously approves.

"It's insane! How do you know this Cinna guy is still alive? Have you talked to him?" Melana is a little skeptical.

"No, but I know that my mother trusted Cinna, and Effie too. If it was her in my place, she would do the same thing. I know it," I answer.

"What if it doesn't work? What if they can't kill Snow?"

"Any underground operation would surely be out numbered," Melana is starting to affect Jessie which isn't good.

"If they fail, no rescue team will come and the gamemakers will just leave us in here to starve to death. Or just wipe us out with a tsunami," add Melana.

"Look, I know it's risky but we have a chance to do something great here. Braidly told me that it could change Panem forever. This is our chance to end the Hunger Games forever," thank you Carson.

"We can't change it! This is how it's always been! We tried and failed twi…"

Bailey cuts Melana off and she speaks with wisdom beyond her years.

"History tends to repeat it's self, right? Then lets repeat the good part, where the rebellion is won and freedom is given to all."

This shuts everyone up.

"Who's with us?" I ask, placing my hand in the center of our circle. Rye is the first the place his hand on top of mine. Carson, Bailey and Jessie follow and soon, Melana adds her hand to the group. Already we have united into one group, and we now all have a mission. To unite the rest of Panem.

Everyone but Carson and I return to bed. We stay up planning what we will do to reach the other tributes in the arena. He and I both agree that I need one more day to gather my energy and heal. So tomorrow, I'll stay inside the Cornucopia and the next day we will continue to practice my archery. I don't know why learning to shoot arrows is so important to Cinna, but their must be a reason. So I decide that I will do my best. After that, we scale the woods to search for other tributes. Our main objective is get to the tributes before the other tributes do. They don't know about our plan and will surely slaughter each other.

Soon the rain stops and the sun rises, and the others are starting to stir. They are amazed that we stayed up all night long, but we had to sort everything out if it was going to work. Jessie goes hunting and returns with a red fox. Rye and Bailey clean it and Carson cooks it over the fire. Melana helps me back to my dreaded sleeping bag and changes the bandage around my torso. She hands me a couple of the blue pill and I happily swallow them. Rye soon brings me fox on a stick, another arena delicacy. I take it slow with this one and realize that it tricks my stomach into thinking I have eaten more. Rye stays by my side while I eat. When I am done he asks me something that must have been bothering him.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm sorry Rye. I just didn't get the chance," I answer.

"It's okay. Just try to fill me in next time, okay?" his smile is so refreshing after such a rough past couple of days.

"Okay," I ruffle those blonde curls and he rests his head on my shoulder.

"I wonder what Mom and Dad are doing?"

"I don't know. Maybe making us a new little brother or sister."

"Ew! Danica!" he rises from my shoulder and slaps me right where his head was resting. Rye has had "the talk" before. He just doesn't see the beauty of it just yet.

I can't contain my laughter, even though it really hurts.

"I'm kidding, Rye. Chill out."

"That's so gross," he says, his lip curled in disgust.

"I love you," I say, still trying to stop laughing.

"Shut up," and with that he stands and leaves me. I still continue to laugh.

The day goes by so slow. I swear I can feel my sanity leaving me as I sit here and watch Jessie make faces out of the entrails from the fox. I start to question her sanity as well. Who knows, maybe we're all just crazy. I am still terribly sore, but the stabbing pain has subsided. When Melana checks the bandage, it doesn't need changing. It's still mainly clean. So my wound must be scabbing over and starting to heal. She continues to give me the pills and rubs antibiotic salve on the wound. Tomorrow is going to be tough. But I have to get back in the game if I am going to complete my mission. After lunch, Melana takes Rye and Bailey to look for signs of other tributes. I don't want Rye to go. It's just too dangerous. There are still two careers out there that are particularly thirsty for my blood. But Rye protests, that he's not a baby. He can take care of himself. Since I am unable to get up, he leaves with them and I am useless to stop him. I call for Carson, plead with him to go get Rye. But Carson seems to agree that I am babying him too much.

It's in the late afternoon, around four or five when Jessie and Carson come inside the Cornucopia to keep me company. We share more stories, but only of the good things in life. I talk about the song my mother would sing to me and Rye when we were sick or upset. They ask me to sing it and I resist at first. I remember how my father would tell us that whenever mother would sing; all the birds would fall silent. I even forced her to sing outside once to prove it. It worked. So I know that I would fail miserably compared to her. But Carson insists and I give in because singing reminds me of her. I realize how much I really miss her right now.

I stare out of the mouth of the Cornucopia and watch the birds flutter around outside as I begin.

_Down in the Meadow, under the willow_

_A bed of grass, a soft green pillow_

_Lay down your head, and close your eyes_

_And when they open, the sun will rise_

_Here it is safe, here it is warm_

_Here the daisies will guard you from every harm_

_And here your dreams are sweet, and tomorrow brings them true._

_Here is the place where I love you._

I can't believe my eyes when a Mockingjay lands in the front of the Cornucopia, scanning it for the source of the sound. He starts to hop in towards Carson who is sitting completely still, careful not to scare it. My parents told me that they will repeat a song if they hear it enough. So I decide to keep singing and see if it will sing back.

_Deep in the meadow, hidden far away_

_A cloak of leaves a moonbeam ray._

_Forget your woes, and let your troubles lay._

_And when again it's morning, they'll wash away._

_Here it's safe, and here it's warm_

_Here the daises guard you from every harm._

_And here your dreams are sweet, and tomorrow brings them true._

_Here is the Place where I love you!_

The Mockingjay hops over to me, the source of the music. Soon after I finish, sure enough, the Mockingjay repeats the sweet melody to us. Even starts to put his own spin on it. I can't contain the happiness this little bird has brought me. This bird is the perfect example of hope. That soon, our troubles will end and a brighter day will come. He has the freedom to roam the skies, come and go as he pleases. Some day, Panem will be free too. Free of murderous peacekeepers and the snake like eyes of Snow. The bird comes so close to me that I reach my hand out to it. It is seconds from entering my hand when I hear the unmistakable sound of a canon.

_Boom!_

The bird falls silent and flies away from us, out of the Cornucopia. I left with an empty hand and fear floods my whole being. I look to Carson who shakes his head, "I'm sure it wasn't him."

That's when we hear the yelling. As we turn to look out into the open field, we can see the three bodies walking at a steadily pace for the Cornucopia. Carson and Jessie simultaneously dive for their weapons and scramble to their feet. I too reach for my bow that is inches from my grasp, but Jessie commands me to stay put. As the group of three near the mouth of the Cornucopia, I start to think my vision is going bad. First a Mockingjay visits us in the Cornucopia. Now I see Meybell, in arms with the two Careers that fled the fight two days ago. Meybell is laughing right along with them, carrying a stick with a large heavy ball attached by a chain. I don't know what it is, but it looks deadly. Beside her, the tall blonde boy carries his swords and the short brunette is has a large assortment of knifes in her jacket. When Carson and Jessie step out into the open, the Careers (and Meybell) stop to infuriate us before attacking.

"We're taking back the Cornucopia," says the boy, "and we're going to kill you in the process. We already took care of your little friends in the woods."

No, not Rye. Please, not Rye. I start to panic, breath heavily when Carson speaks up.

"You're such a liar Lars. Who did you stab in the back to make that cannon go off?"

"Mighty big talk coming from the lumberjack," says Lars.

"Oh, and that's supposed to hurt?" Carson laughs.

"I'll make a lot of things hurt if you don't control yourself."

"Why don't you put your money where your fat ass mouth is," says Carson.

The fight begins and Lars leaps forward; raising his sword to slash Carson in two. But Carson counters with his trusty ax and the two block each other's efforts. Jessie takes her sword and slices Lars across the back. He falls to the ground and Carson moves on to help Jessie take on Meybell and the girl Career. The career girl whips out a wicked curved knife and I can hear as the two metals collide. They go at it for a while, but in the end, the girls knives are no match for the sword. Jessie propels the knife from the girls hand and slices her throat in one move. The girl collapses to the ground, dead.

_Boom!_

Meybell propels the heavy ball at Carson's head, but Carson quickly leans his head back and raises the ax to deflect the weapon. There's nothing Meybell can do, the ball is already in motion. The chain wraps around the neck of the ax and Carson jerks the weapon from her hand. Its weight slings it to the ground with a thud and Meybell is left defenseless. She starts to panic again, much like when she saw the door in the Justice Building and before we boarded the train. She starts to back up, looking behind her franticly before she stumbles on her feet and is laying completely on the ground. Carson and Jessie walk slowly to Meybell who is scrabbling on her elbows to get away.

"No! Please, don't hurt me! Don't! Please! No!" Meybell screams. But Carson and Jessie continue to silently walk towards her.

What Carson can't see is that behind him, Lars has crawled on his hand and knees and is reaching for the weapon that Meybell had dropped. No, I can't just sit here and let him kill Carson and Jessie. I have to do something. The medicine from earlier has wore off and I am feeling sore again. But I don't care. I get up painfully and once the bow and an arrow are in my hands, I try to remember everything that Carson told me about archery. By now, Lars has the weapon in his hand and is trying to get to his feet. I string the arrow on the bow. I raise the bow up into position and pull back on the string. It's a struggle, but I lower my arm and the string gives. The twisting in my abdomen from this is causing my wound to throb and I can feel a tear of pain falling down my cheek. But I take a deep breath, and aim directly for Lars's left leg. Lars is seconds from releasing that anger out of Carson so I release the air in my lungs slowly and the arrow slips from my fingers. Before I even lower my bow, I know I have hit the target. I hear Lars fall over in pain. Jessie and Carson whip around to find the chain and ball in Lars's hand, but Lars is on the ground with an arrow in his leg. Inside the Cornucopia, I am holding the bow. The biggest smile takes over Carson's face as his eyes meet mine.

Jessie dives for Meybell who squeals and shrieks like a newborn piglet. But Jessie simply pulls her up by her arm and holds her hands behind her back so she can't run. Lars rolls over and dislodges the arrow from his leg and angrily throws it to the ground. He looks up as if he is still considering attack, but Carson teasingly lifts slings the ax over his shoulder. Lars decided all is lost, and abandons Meybell for the woods.

"Lars! Don't leave me here!" Meybell screams. But Lars is running full speed and disappears into the dark depths of the forest. I have started walking out to them, to ask Meybell to be in our alliance. When I reach them, Meybell's cries and squeals stop and she stares at me like she knows that I am about to kill her.

"She's all yours," Carson says teasingly and steps back.

I walk up to Meybell whose face is streaming with tears. She whimpers in a last attempt to plead for her life. I look her straight in the eyes.

"Meybell, we want to know if you would join our alliance," I ask. The shock and utter disbelief on her face would almost be amusing if the situation wasn't so serious. She searches my eyes for an answer. I hold out my hand. Jessie releases her and Meybell now has to decide for herself. She raises her hand wirily to shake mine. But our alliance is interrupted by Melana charging out into the open field from the woods. He face is red and streaming with tears. She gasps for breath not only from the running but from her hysteria. In her arms she carries Rye, who is covered in his own blood.

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**This was really a major chapter in the story so please review and let me know what you think about the writing skill and also about what has happened to the characters. Tell me what you think! Thanks yall!**


	11. Anonymous Donation

**The story isn't starting to suck is it? I would know if i would get some more reviews! lol jk. But let me know what you think! :) **

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"Rye!" I shout as I bolt forward, leaving Meybell behind. Everything else is blocked from my mind at this point. Seeing the blood covering his small frame has stolen my full attention. He is my only concern at the moment. Carson and Jessie run along with me to join Melana and Rye. As I get closer I can see the blood covering the whole front of his white t-shirt and I can see the tear in the fabric where the knife entered his body just below his ribs. His eyes are closed and his breathing is quick and short, but he is still alive. Carson takes Rye from Melana's shaky, blood covered hands and gently lays him in the grass. Melana is hysterical, crying and choking as she tries to talk. She stumbles on her words, truly disturbed by what has happened.

"They…they killed her! They killed Bailey!" Melana sobs.

"Shh…Melana," Jessie tries to console her, but my focus is on Rye.

"I'm sorry Danica; I … tried to stop them! I tried!"

"Stop who?" I snap, wanting to know my little brother's attackers.

"The twins from 11. They both look alike so I thought there… was only one. But the popped out and…"

"You mean Hana and Heather?"

"Yes."

I immediately feel the anger towards them begin to sputter and boil until it is moments for spilling over and I take that bow and arrow and hunt them down. But I can't leave Rye. I have to stay with him. "Rye," I say in that soft caring voice I use when he just had a nightmare. But when he doesn't respond, I say his name with a more firm voice. But that fails as well.

"Rye!" I shout.

"Shouting at him won't help Danica," says Carson as he rips off his jacket to try to stop the bleeding.

"But he has to wake up," I say matter of fact.

"He's lost a lot of bl…"

"He has to wake up!" I shout. I'm starting to panic.

"Danica."

"No, I have to get him home!" the other's stand and watch as I shake him, trying to bring him back to consciousness, "Rye!"

Why won't he wake up?

Meybell comes up from behind but I don't turn to look. I have to get Rye to wake up.

"Rye!" my shouts are starting to become strangled as I try and fail at holding back my tears. They flood from my eyes and I feel the sobs threatening to rack my body but crying won't help anything, "Rye, get up! Get up!"

"Get her out of here," Carson says to no one in particular. I feel hands behind me gently try to coax me away from him, but I push them away and scoot closer to Rye's small bleeding body. I lean close to his face and stroke his soft blonde curls as I plead with him to get up, "Get up sweetheart. Please get up."

Melana continues to sob as she watches Carson doctor Rye. I feel Jessie's strong hands gripping my arms and pull me away from him. I resist. I need to stay with him. Let him know that I am here, that I haven't given up on him. To give him a face to see when he opens those blues eyes. I'm clawing at the grass pulling up clumps of dirt as Jessie pulls me away from him.

"No!" I shout, "He needs me! I need to stay with him!"

But Jessie doesn't stop. I can hear Meybell beside me, trying to get me cooperate, "Danica, lets go inside," and "He'll be okay, Danica." But I don't listen. I fight with every ounce of energy I have to get back to him. I won't stop fighting for him. By now they have managed to get me two or three feet away from him and counting. I dig my heels in the dirt to try to cause enough friction to keep them from pull me away any further.

"No! Let me stay with him!" I am screaming at this point at the top of my lungs and I hope everyone in the whole damn arena can hear me.

I struggle against Jessie and Meybell as they continue to pull me away.

"I need the supplies in the Cornucopia," says Carson, and he scoops Rye up in his strong arms and sprints to the Cornucopia. As he passes I try to grab Rye's limp hand but he is too far from me. I start to run after them, but Jessie holds me back.

"No!" I scream one last time before the sobs start, one after the other, shaking my body to the core as each one comes. I topple over into the grass as my knees give out and on my hands and knees, I sob into the greenery. Tears fall from my face and darken the soil below me. I feel as helpless as I did the day we were reaped. I can't do anything to help him. Meybell squats beside me and rubs my back as I cry. I finally sit down and Meybell pulls me in so I can cry on her shoulder. I don't hesitate to accept. I can hear Melana's own sobs as she takes in the scene. I don't blame her for what has happened. She must have done as much as she could to protect him. I blame myself. For not going after him when he stubbornly went along on the hike after I told him not to. It's my fault he's dying in the Cornucopia. My fault. My crying has become so painful because of the shaking it has caused to my stomach. Each wave of tears causes a stabbing pain that perfectly matches the pain in my heart. However, my cries of physical pain blend in with my cries for Rye. I want so badly to take this away from Rye. Why him? He's so young and innocent. Mom and Dad need him. He's their pride and joy. It should be me who dies. I'm the one who should be sent back in a wooden box to District 12 while he comes home in a hovercraft, crowned victor of the 100th Hunger Games. I should be the one who is bleeding to death right now. Not him. Not him. Not him.

It seems like years before Carson comes back out to update us on Rye's condition. The sun is long gone and we sit in the complete darkness of the night. Carson carries a torch with him that lights up his face and shadows are cast by his prominent features. I am still crying and Meybell has to tap me on the shoulder before I even realize that Carson is there.

"He's awake, but you have to stay calm Danica," Carson says. He's right. It won't do Rye any good to see me so upset. It will only make his condition worse. So after I stand up from my disheveled heap on the ground, I wipe away my tears and take a minute to calm down before I give Carson the okay to lead me back. As we near the Cornucopia, I am filled with anxiousness and anxiety. I do not know what I will find when I reach it. Will I find the strong healthy boy who will push through and survive this? Or will this be too much for him to bear? I enter the mouth of the Cornucopia and I see Rye lying on his sleeping bag with a blanket keeping him warm while his ribs are wrapped up in the sterile gauze. I see the blood filling up the bandage as we speak, but I put on my brave face and force a smile as I walk up to his side and kneel on the floor. He weakly reaches out his hand and I gladly take his into mine, warming the cold fingers. He looks up at me, those blue eyes starting to dim and I have to hold my breath a couple of times to stop the tears.

"Hey," he whispers.

"Hey," I say softly, "How do you feel?"

He thinks on this, or rather, builds up the courage to muster these next words.

"I'm going to die Danica, aren't I?" his works crush my heart to pieces that will never be fully put back together again. I immediately deny it.

"Hush," I say, "You'll be fine. You'll go home, and you'll bake cookies and bread and paint pictures. You're not going to die Sweetheart. Not here. Not in the arena." I can't help the tear that slide down my check confirming what we both already know. But I continue to smile like it means nothing.

I stoke the blonde curls and run my hand down his pale cheek. I lean down and kiss his temple, "You'll be okay."

I release his hand and reach up to my shirt, unpinning the Mockingjay from the fabric. I fasten the clip back to the pin and I gently place it in Rye's hand, closing his fingers over it. He looks up at me and I can see his inner battle to stay strong for me give way.

"I love you, Danica" his own tear are falling and I can barley compose myself as I whimper back.

"I love you, baby."

Carson, whose own tears are showing stands back to give us room, but close enough if Rye need's medical attention. The others are lined up in the mouth of the Cornucopia as they watch me, possibly saying my goodbyes to my brother.

I give his forehead another kiss and start to leave because I am in serious danger of having a mental breakdown if I don't escape this. But Rye tightens his grip on my hand and pulls me back, whispering, "Stay with me."

I have heard this before with my parents during Dad's episodes. I wanted to see what it was like when he had one once and it was rather scary. He would pound his fists on things, throw glass that would shatter against the wall and even cut my mother, but what was really a mystery to me was how she brought him back to reality. Helped him to snap out of his diluted and disturbed would of darkness back to this one. That day, after mother had managed to corner him after many plates had been broken, she placed her hands on his face and would say over and over, "Stay with me. Stay with me."

My father's eyes would soften; his muscles relax and always replied with the same single word.

I take Rye's face into my hands, press our foreheads together, and whisper this word as softly as I can.

"Always."

I stay with him as he continues to grow weak. His skin is so pale and looks so thin from the lack of food in the arena. That can't be helping his body. His breathing actually stops once or twice until Carson revives him. Finally, Rye slips back into unconsciousness, his ragged breaths are the only sign that he is still alive. Carson changes his blood covered bandage and places the cold rag over his forehead to cool him down. Carson gives him a small dose of Morphling to help with the pain as well. The national anthem booms, but I don't want to see the faces of those lost in the sky. The faces of the innocent forced to kill each other because the Capitol is so evil and cruel. And now, my sweet little Rye will most likely be their next victim. I could kill Snow myself right now. I don't even bother to look at the others watching the sky as I sit beside Rye and hold his hand. I just watch him as he takes what might be his final breaths. I don't want to miss them. They are so precious.

As the night wares on, no one sleeps. Everyone sits around the fire outside while I stay inside. They probably know it too. Know that Rye doesn't stand a chance. They want to give us the privacy that most are deprived of with these games. The privacy to say what I need to say to him before it's too late.

What are you saying Danica? He's going to be fine! Stop thinking like that.

Hours pass, and Rye continues to breathe painfully. I wish so badly that this was just a bad dream. I wish that I could close my eyes and open them again back in 12. I want to sleep in my warm bed again, snuggled up to the old stuffed bear father bought me when I was little. I want to open my bedroom door to the smell of freshly baked bread and pancakes. I want my father's strong arms to sweep me up and away from all of my problems. I need my parents terribly.

But they're not here. I am forced to bear all the weight of this on my shoulders and be strong at the same time. It's just too much for me to deal with at once. It's not fair. I am a 15 year old girl. I am not supposed to learn to shoot arrows throw people's hearts. I am not supposed to sit here and watch my brother die. I am not supposed to die so young myself. I am glad I agreed to join the rebellion. It's the only form of revenge I have on the Capitol right now.

As I sit in that same spot and the hours pass, as I hold my little brother's hand while the life is draining out of him, the feelings that fill my body are starting to get so confusing and jumbled. My anger is starting to spread from Snow to the twins who did this to him. Not only him, but Bailey as well. Sweet, sophisticated Bailey who could skin a squirrel before he had time to run is now gone and the Capitol doesn't care. Unless of course they were betting on her. But I doubt that they would waste money on someone who was so likely to disappoint. That wasn't how I saw Bailey though. I saw her beauty and her intelligence and now, the world will never get to see that. Because Hana and Heather murdered her. Now…

Now I'm going to return the favor.

I lift Rye's hand up to my lips and softly kiss it before I rest it beside him. I stand up, no longer paying attention to the pain in my stomach and sling the sheath of arrows around my shoulder. This raises some eyebrows from the others but I just ignore them. With the bow in hand, I start to walk out of the Cornucopia and into the darkness that will surely not last much longer. I am walking in the tall grass when I hear someone running after me. I don't turn around but I am pulled back my Carson's strong hand. He stands in front of me, trying to get me to turn my attention to him. But I am focused on which path I should take to find the twins.

"What are you doing?"

"Stay out of it Carson," I start to walk around him but he steps in my way.

"Danica, you're not going out there. It's too dangerous."

"Watch me," again I try to move around him but he keeps stopping me.

"I won't let you," he says trying to grab the bow from my hand. But I jerk it away from him and out of his reach.

"Move out of my way."

"No. I'm not going to let you do something stupid."

"Oh, so it's stupid to want to get them back for hurting my brother?"

"Yes, it is. You're alone and in the dark. Anything could happen."

"Why do you care? He's not your brother. He doesn't mean anything to you!" I shout.

"I care about him…"

"You don't care about anyone but…"

"Because I care about you!"

This pulls me up short and I can't help but wonder what he means. Does he care that much about the rebellion and our plan already? Does care about me as a friend? Or…as more?

What are you doing? Rye is dying and you're thinking about relationships? I push past Carson and continue my steady pace into the depths of the forest when his voice stops me again.

"Fine! Go on and get yourself killed! Then where would Rye be?"

I stop in my tracks. I must admit he is really pushing my buttons right now, but when I think about it, Rye would be all alone because I had to seek revenge. I'm starting to doubt this plan already.

"There will be a time for revenge. But now is not that time, Danica. Rye needs you. If you give up, then he will too. He loves you. He looks up to you. If these are his final moments, then you should be there to ease him through it. Something I wasn't allowed with Jason."

He's right.

I take a deep breath and swallow my pride before I turn and slowly walk back to Carson. I stare into his brown eyes, which are searching mine for a sign of what I am thinking.

The only thing I say is, "Okay."

We walk back to the Cornucopia in silence. All the while I am thinking about what he said. About Rye, about revenge, and about me. We reach the Cornucopia and every eye is on me. But I ignore them and lean my bow against the metal and sit the sheath back on the ground. I sit around the fire with everyone else. Beside me is Meybell who is staring into the fire as if she has been lost in her thoughts and is trying to make sense of everything that has happened already. Melana has passed out on her jacket that was spread across the dirt. Her exhaustion from the events of today has no doubt been shared by me. But I don't want to sleep. I am afraid to sleep. So I sit in silence as we wait for the day to dawn. Eventually the sky begins to lighten and the stars start to dim and disappear. The trees gain color and uniform and the birds start to sing softly in the distance. Inside the Cornucopia Carson is watching Rye and giving him Morphling as needed. With every second that passes I grow more afraid that the next will be the second he passes away.

The sky turns blue and the orange sun peeks out at us over the trees that are blocking it's light. Jessie left about an hour ago to hunt and find us some food. When the sun is almost fully in view, she returns with a rabbit and a turkey. She plops the bird down in font of her as she sits beside me. Carson is busy, Melana is asleep, Rye is hurt, Meybell is lost in her own world and Bailey is dead. So I help Jessie pluck and skin the kill to be roasted over the fire. I get lost in the removal of feathers and pluck until the bird is bare and a pile of feathers lie at my feet. We cut the meat up and cook it over the fire. But once it's all done, no one has much of an appetite anyway.

I get sick of sitting around and waiting on Rye to die, so I drag the sleeping bag/target out into the field and practice my shooting. I shoot one after the other and only stop when I run out to pick them up. When I start it's a little past lunch time. My first few shots miss and fall to the ground. But after about 20 of them, I finally hit the target. It wasn't a bull's-eye but I hit the outer ring that Carson painted with the berries. There's a variation of hit and miss until most shots hit the target. I can't really believe it when I see over 30 holes in the sleeping bag. It's a rather amazing feeling. I string my last arrow for the day, pull it back and release. I watch it as it sinks into the center of the center circle. Bull's-eye. I actually start to laugh, disbelieving that I had finally hit my target. I had finally hit the Bull's-eye! My mother would be so proud of me. I wonder what she's think about it right now back in 12? Then again, she is probably not even watching, locked in her bedroom crying for her child. I have no idea how long I have been here. When I look up, it is well into the afternoon and everyone has moved inside from the heat of the day.

I pull my arrows free from the sleeping bag and pick up the ones that are on the ground and store them back in the sheath. I slide my bow over my shoulder and start to haul the target back to the Cornucopia when I hear a chime.

Hmh. What does that mean? I look around, up in the sky and see the silver parachute falling to the ground. What is this? Tributes don't have sponsors anymore. They don't get gifts in the arena other than from their family back in the district. But most families are so poor, there are never really any gifts sent to tributes anymore. Why am I being sent a parachute? The thought crosses my mind that it could be armed, a bomb like the one that killed Aunt Prim. But why would they send bombs in parachutes to kill off the tributes? That's just a waste of time and effort for the ones who planned this whole game. I cautiously walk over the parachute and squat down to retrieve it. When I pull it into my hands, a tiny box it attached. What is this? What could my parents have afforded to send me? I open the box and find a medium sized syringe that is filled with some kind of liquid. Medicine.

Medicine. Wait! Medicine! Maybe this can help Rye! I fumble with the box, and pull out a small note. When I unfold it, it's the handwriting of my Mother's.

_Anonymous donation for Rye. Give to him as soon as possible. We love you both very much. Mother_.

Who would be so generous to pay for this medicine? This is surely very expensive. Names list through my brain as I try to pin point the person I should thank, but no one comes to mind. I reread the note for clues.

_Anonymous donation. Give to him as soon as possible._

_Give to him as soon as possible._

Oh, who cares where it came from? It's here! I scramble to my feet and sprint for the Cornucopia. I run as fast as I can and I don't bother to stop when I reach the mouth. "Carson!" I dart straight in and fumble with the syringe in my hand as I try to explain it to Carson. It takes him a second to piece it together, but soon he takes the syringe from my hand and cleans the needle before he sticks it into the crook of Rye's arm, injecting him with the liquid that might possibly save his life. Soon the liquid is gone and in Rye's blood stream. Now all we can do is wait. Carson sits the empty syringe on a crate and turns to me, taking my face into his hands. This surprises me and I feel a little uncomfortable when he starts to look me in the eyes. But what he says gives me hope.

"He's going to be okay now. He'll be okay."

I nod and Carson pulls me into a warm embrace as he wraps his strong arms around me and pulls me close. I actually realize how much I missed the real touch of another human being since being in the arena. It's comforting and I gladly return the gesture. The others are starting to poor into the Cornucopia, buzzing with questions about my wild entrance. Carson explains about the medicine and their eyes light up. But Meybell is a little confused by their joy at Rye's getting better. Thankfully, she doesn't say anything about it though. Otherwise, our secret would be known to all of Panem and we'll be stuck in here until we finally give in and kill each other.

My mood is so much brighter now that I have received the medicine. I have hope that he will be okay. He will go home to District 12 and live a happy life baking and painting again. Everyone else must be in better spirits too because as the day wares into the late afternoon, everyone gathers around the fire to eat some turkey and rabbit.

As we sit and eat, chatting about nothing in particular, I see something out of the corner of my eye land in the grass beside us. When I look, I see my Mockingjay as it twitters a small song and flies off into the sun.


	12. First Kill

There are no deaths to project against the night sky tonight. The remaining tributes have survived the day and so has Rye. I sit inside of the Cornucopia by his side, holding his hand as we wait for the medicine to finally take effect. I can already see the color beginning to return to his pale skin and his breathing has steadied. I have regained hope that he might make it out of this arena alive. I just wish that Cinna would hurry up. How long does it take to get into the Capitol? I even start to wonder if they had tried and were captured. However, it only being six days into the games, it seems like it has been a lifetime since I was clinging to my father's torso, begging him not to leave me. I also wonder who was generous, and might I add, crazy enough to donate the money to get this medicine for Rye. Not only are we poor ourselves, but were the most hated children in Panem. So why on earth would someone donate their money to keep one of us alive? I have no idea who this person is or where their sanity went, but I'm very grateful. I watch Rye as he takes breaths and twitches every now and then. Carson joins me and checks on Rye's condition.

"How is he?"

"He's better," I say, "But I'll feel better once he wakes up."

"I think we all will."

We sit in silence, the awkward kind where neither of us know exactly what to say. So I break the silence myself.

"Listen, I never thanked you, for helping Rye. I'm sure he would have died without you because I know I wasn't much help."

"That's the way you react when you see someone you love in pain like that. I know that when you came back with an arrow in your side I…" he trails off.

I suddenly remember something that I didn't pay much attention to when it happened. Something that Jessie said.

_You sure gave Carson a scare._

Is that how Carson reacted when I was hurt? Seeing Rye so upset and seeing me with an arrow in my stomach? Did he fall apart as I did for Rye? Because he cares about me? Does he…love me?

"Anyway, you're welcome." He blurts out, trying to save his drop of the conversation. Again the awkward silence begins to fill the Cornucopia and I can easily hear the others outside laughing and sharing memories. This time Carson interrupts it, and excuses himself to let me have time alone with Rye. I watch as he walks out, his silhouette against the light from the fire. Even in the dark I can the creases and curvature of the strong muscles in his arms underneath the tight shirt that he was given to wear in the arena. I admit the boy is really attractive and he seems to have a way with Rye. But I am unsure that I feel the same way that he does. Boys have never been interested in me. So now that one possibly is, I am unsure of what to do with myself. I have never had a boyfriend, so I don't know how to be a girlfriend. I guess I could learn. But I don't know if I want to.

How did Carson react anyway? I was out cold so I have no idea. But maybe someone else can tell me. Jessie will know because she's the one who told me I scared him to begin with. But right now, I need to stay with Rye. Because I want to be the first person he sees when he wakes up. I want to be the first person to see those blue eyes when they open. As it grows later, I agree to keep watch so the others can sleep. While the others lay wrapped in their sleeping bags, I watch and listen for intruders. But I also watch Rye, hoping that every time I turn to him, he will be awake. But every time I am disappointed. Luckily it's a rather peaceful night. No canons or sounds of hunters looking for someone to kill in their sleep. When the sun rises, Rye is still unresponsive but he seems to be looking even better than yesterday. I check his bandage and clean the wound, trying to keep out infection the best I can. I watch the sky begin to brighten and feel the cool morning breeze as it blows into Cornucopia, making me shiver. I pull the covers around Rye a little tighter so he won't be cold. My yawning is showing my fatigue from not sleeping in two days but I wanted to make sure that Rye didn't wake up alone. So I had to stay up with him. I don't think I will sleep until he wakes up.

The others sleep late this morning but Jessie is still the first one up. She prepares her weapons for her morning hunt and starts to leave the Cornucopia. I run after her, pulling her to a stop so that I can ask her about Carson the day I was hurt.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"When I woke up after I was injured, you said something. Something that has made me start to wonder about the day I got shot with the arrow."

"What about it?" she asks, obviously annoyed that I have interrupted her morning routine.

"You said that I gave Carson a scare. What did you mean?"

"I meant he thought you were going to die."

"But how did he react?"

"Well, when Melana and I carried you back, you still had the arrow inside of you and you were still bleeding pretty bad. We got to the Cornucopia and Carson saw you unconscious and I swear the boy was crying."

"But…why? Why would he cry for me?"

"Damn girl. You're just as slow as your mother was about how your father."

"What are you talking about?"

"He loves you, Danica! Can't you see that? The way he protects you and Rye? The way he jumped right in with your little "alliance". He sees you the way Peeta saw Katniss. Beautiful, smart, and a survivor."

I don't know why, but a smile starts to creep onto my face as I get this warm fuzzy feeling in my chest. I don't know why, but I like the fact that Carson would see me as someone who was beautiful and smart. Someone that makes his heart pound when she steps in the room. Or the Cornucopia in this case. This is new, to have someone interested in me for a change. It's exciting almost.

Then, a mischievous smile controls Jessie's emotions as she starts to laugh.

"You like him too, don't you?"

"What?"

I don't like him, do I? No of course not.

"You like him too. Admit it!" she teases.

"No I don't. I have more important stuff to worry about other than Carson."

"Mmmhmm. Well just let me know when you two realize your lying to yourselves." She walks out into the distance, past the tree line and I watch as her figure disappears into the still dark woods. When I return to the Cornucopia, I am so lost in thought, thinking about Carson having feeling for me, about my feelings for Carson, if there are any, that I don't watch where I am going. I walk straight into the side of the Cornucopia and with a loud bang, I wake up everyone inside. I can't help but express the pain that it pulsing through my forehead and shoulder right now from the impact. I run my hand over my forehead and when I look at it, a small amount of blood is covering my index finger. Great. I busted my forehead open because of my own stupidity. I imagine everyone in the entire nation of Panem is laughing at me right now. I feel embarrassed but I just walk back inside of the Cornucopia where everyone is watching me.

"What was that?" Carson asks, "Why are you bleeding?" He stands up and rushes over to examine my wound. A perfect example of what Jessie was talking about. I gently push his hand away and smile.

"Oh, I'm fine. I just ran into the side of the Cornucopia. Wasn't watching where I was going."

Carson laughs and Melana sighs as she buries her face under her blanket, annoyed she had been woken up over something so unimportant and falls right back to sleep. Meybell gets up and walks over to us, and says, "Oh, it's just a small scratch." She grabs a rag and dabs it clean.

"Well since were already awake, we might as well get started with the day." Carson goes outside to gather wood for the fire.

"So what was taking up so much of you attention that you run into the side of the Cornucopia?" asks Meybell after Carson leaves.

"Nothing, I just wasn't watching where I was walking," I really hope that she doesn't pursue the answer so I break in with a question for her, "So how did you end up with the Careers?"

"Well, their main goal was to get to you and your brother first. You know, since you're kind of hated by everyone in Panem."

"Thanks for sugar coating it," I say. But she just laughs.

"So they knew I was the best chance they had of taking you down so they offered my protection in exchange for finding your weaknesses." Meybell becomes quiet and looks down at the ground, avoiding my gaze, "I knew one of them was your little brother. I knew that if something were to happen to him, we would easily be able to take you down too. So Lars sent Hana and Heather to kill Rye."

"Oh," is my only answer.

"I'm sorry Danica."

"It's okay," I say, but I am still rather surprised and hurt by Meybell's actions. I thought even though she probably hated me herself, she would still have to decency to protect her own. But since she is descended from District Five, maybe she didn't feel the same loyalty that I would have for her. I look over at Rye who is even starting to reposition his head on the sleeping bag. Hopefully, he will wake up soon.

"He won't stop trying to kill you, you know."

"Well let him try. I'm not afraid of him."

"Yeah. Well, I guess I should…go help gather some wood." She walks outside and joins Carson on the edge of wood where he is gathering stray limbs and sticks to build our fire. I watch him hand a pile he was holding in his arms over to Meybell who slumps with the weight of the wood that had little effect on Carson. I wonder if mining coal has the same effect on a person's body. Thankfully I wouldn't know. My father never had to work in the mines. He always found work somewhere else. Someone who would pity him, a man with a wife and two children to feed. Someone who would let him do repairs on their house or something like that. I was especially thankful for that when there was the large mining accident and most of the children in my class lost at least one parent. I remember that day very well. I was eleven so Rye was eight. School had just started so it was very early in the morning and our teacher was in the middle of taking attendance when the alarms went off that signaled an accident in the mines. Even though I wouldn't be affected by it, I was still scared along with the others who _did _have parents in the mines. I remember everyone filing out of the door, finding their brothers and sisters and make a bee-line for the mine elevators. It was utter ciaos. I even went to find Rye who was still slumped down in his seat. We make our way out of the building and I was a little unsure of what to do. Nothing like this had ever happened before so I didn't know if I should go to the mines with everyone else or go home. I ended up making my way to the seam, Rye's hand in mine. Our father came out of the house, showering us with questions as to why were here and not in school.

"The alarms went off," I said, "Something must have happened in the mines."

I remember seeing the registration of what I said in his eyes. They had friends from before the rebellion that worked in the mines. My father took both of us by the hands and led us inside where our mother was still in her robe at the breakfast table. The confusion on her face was apparent.

"There was an accident at the mines so school was canceled," my father released us and I hung our jackets back in the closet, "I'm going to go see what's going on." He was gone for hours.

It was odd being at home at that time of day, but Rye and I made the best of it. We slept, played in the yard outside and then slept some more. That night he came home and I had never seen him so sad. Mother ordered us out but my own curiosity and stubbornness was what drove me to listen in around the corner. I made Rye go back to his room, but I listened as my father told my mother what had happened.

"What happened?" Mother asks.

"Just about the whole mine collapsed," Father sighs as he sits at the table. Mother joins him and he continues, "Over a mile in length. Killed everyone under it."

"How many?"

"Hundreds," he shrugs.

My mother buried her face in her hands. Her father was killed in the mines when she was a little girl. But she doesn't talk about it much.

"The mines are just too old and too deep. It was only a matter of time before the whole thing came tumbling down," he said.

"So what does that mean for 12? I mean, what will the Capitol do if it doesn't need us anymore?"

"They'll always need us. Most likely they'll just make us dig another way in."

"It means they'll need more miners too," my mother's words later began to make since. She meant that my father would have to work in the mines and for a while, I was terrified I would come home to find out my father was in the mines, miles and miles under ground.

Luckily that didn't happen. Father was right about the Capitols need for coal because just days later, crews were on the scene, digging through the rubble and found another way to get to the coal. The mines were open again within a month. We haven't had a major accident like that since, but it's only a matter of time before it happens again. Because like he said, those mines were there when there was no such thing as Panem and people lived with freedom that I can only dream of.

I can't believe my eyes when Jessie returns from the wood, emerging from the depths of the forest with what looks to be a wild pig. It's rather large so she drags it behind her as she walks. The brown, ugly hog is obviously genetically altered because the tusks on this thing are huge. They could easily rip a person apart if you encountered one. I ask her where she found it and she said there was a whole family of them rooting around in the dirt in the woods. She said it took some fighting, but she eventually cut enough in the right places to bring it down. I am still healing from my wound so of course Carson won't allow me to help Jessie drag it back to the Cornucopia. Carson takes it by the hind legs and Jessie and Melana each grab a front leg and they carry it to the fire.

"How do you skin a hog?" Melana asks.

"The same way you skin everything else. You just have more to work with," Jessie answers, "I did the hard part and gutted it."

"Ew," Melana wrinkles her face at the thought of oversized squirrel and rabbit entrails.

"Has the kid waked up yet?"

"No not yet," I reply.

"Well there is a bunch of these squealing trolls running around in the woods for us to catch," Jessie wipes the pig blood from her hands on her pants, "I'm going to need some help."

"I'm not going with you," Melana bends over and rubs her hands in the grass.

"Don't look at me," Meybell throws her hand into the air and walks back into the Cornucopia.

"I have to get finish gathering firewood. You should go with her Danica. You need the practice. Just don't exert yourself too much," Carson says.

"But what about Rye?"

"Dan, he'll be fine. I'll keep an eye on him," Carson smiles as he walks back to the wood he dropped to help carry the pig.

That's the first time anyone has called me 'Dan'; like Carson is so close to me that he's using nicknames now. But his calling me that gives me a sense of trust. Like we _are _close. I know he will take care of Rye, and Rye won't go anywhere. He'll be right here when I return from hunting. And we could use the extra food.

"Okay, I'll go with you," I say.

"Good," Jessie leans down and pulls the knife out of the hog's rib cage that was still lodged there.

"Just let me go say goodbye to Rye."

Jessie rolls her eyes and let's out an exasperated, "Fine."

I kiss Rye on the forehead and brush a stray blonde curl from his eyes as I tuck the covers under him so it fits more snuggly. It oddly chilly outside today and everyone is wearing their jackets except for me. Back in 12 this would be classified as a typical fall morning so I slip on my jacket before I pick up my bow and arrows and join Jessie back outside.

"I'm ready," I say. I must admit that I am a little excited to try out my new skills. After hitting that bulls-eye yesterday, I feel a little more confident about my archery. I'm nothing like my mother was, but I'm doing pretty good to have only been shooting arrows for a few days. My mom must be bursting at the seams because I have picked up on it so quickly. This will be the real test.

Jessie and I enter a part of the woods that is unfamiliar to me, but Jessie seems to know where she's going. So I follow her through the pines and across gullies. She stops to show me the tracks that belong to the hogs. A few feet from the tracks are freshly rooted up dirt where the hogs searched for food to eat. Jessie says their nose contains their strongest muscles which allow them to plow up the earth like that. I try to remember what this rooting and the tracks look like. It may be of some use later on. We continue to walk through the woods until we come to an opening and we hear the sounds of our prey. Jessie pulls me lower to the ground behind some shrubbery. In the open, over a dozen of these wild boars are rooting up the ground around them. Even some of the young squeal and chase each other at their mother's feet. Compared to their elders, the juveniles are actually kind of cute. Their spotted with stripes running along the little piglet's backs. Their squeals and yelps are loud and piercing.

"You think you can hit one of them?" Jessie whispers.

"I think so," but it was a lie. I honestly didn't think I would be able to even get close to them. They were further away than the target I used to practice. But I string an arrow anyway and slowly stand up. I manage to get completely upright without startling them. I pull the string back and take aim for the largest hog I see and release. All hell breaks loose.

The high pitched squeals and screams are so loud I have to cover my ears. The hogs scatter, mowing down anything that stands in their way. I hear branches breaking and popping even with my hands covering my ears. One of the pigs even starts to come barreling our way but suddenly decides to change coarse and takes off to our right. When I look back in the opening, my arrow lays in the grass. No pig. Even though I am disappointed, I am not surprised. I knew I would miss it and Jessie is probably pinching herself to hold back her profanity from me.

To my surprise, she slaps me on the back.

"It's okay," she comes to stand beside me surveying the empty space; "We'll get 'em next time. Plenty more of them around here."

We continue to venture deeper into the wilderness was I spot several Mockingjays perched on the branches above our heads. They are beautiful in flight because you can see the spots on their wings so clearly. There are all kinds of wildlife throughout the woods. Squirrels, rabbits, snakes (not very excited about that one), foxes, birds, and even some deer make an appearance. If these weren't the woods of the Hunger Games, I would say they are really quite beautiful. I can see why my mom could spend hours in them at a time. I wonder if the woods surrounding 12 are as beautiful as these.

We continue walking until Jessie freezes in her tracks, turns to face me and points behind her slightly. I look over her shoulder to see three hogs grazing by the river. I nod and slowly step around her, bringing a stringed arrow and my bow into position and I lock my aim.

"Steady," Jessie whispers behind me.

I slowly and quietly breathe out through my mouth, my eyes never leaving the hog. I feel the string as is slips from my fingers, releasing the arrow into flight. It seems like ages before I hear those famous squeals again, and my hog falls down to the ground, thrashing and crying in pain. I feel a possum grin overcome my face and Jessie rushes forward to finish him off, lodging the knife into the side of the pig over and over again until it finally stops moving. I join her and retrieve my arrow. It wasn't in the ideal spot of the ribs where the vital organs are, but I'm just relived that I hit the thing at all. I remove the arrow and wipe it off in the grass before I put it back in the sheath. Jessie guts it, leaving the entrails behind for the other animals to eat. Jessie just has the hind legs in her hands before a boy charges out of no where from behind and puts Jessie headlock, cutting off her air. She gasps and wheezes as the boy brings a knife up to her throat and is seconds from slitting it. I watch in horror as she turns blue from the lack of oxygen and the knife grows dangerously close to her neck. She's my ally and I have to do something to stop him. Without thinking twice I whip an arrow from the sheath and send is flying into the boy's rib cage; barely missing Jessie. He lets out a cry of pain and released his grasp from Jessie and they both fall to the ground. The boy clutching his side in pain and Jessie gasping for air. The boy dislodges the arrow from his side and blood floods the grass surrounding him. He turns pale as the life drains from his body. I watch the true shock of what I have just done sending trembling fear throughout my body, as the boy takes his last breaths.

_Boom!_

He was my first kill.


	13. By My Side

**Hey everyone. First, I just want to start off by saying how much I appreciate the encouraging comments I am recieving from you guys. I haven't been able to update as much recently because I have been going through a difficult time in my life right now. Those of you who have ever struggled with depression can understand what it is like. But your kindness has helped me overcome it. I know it's short, but this is the next chapter of New Panem. Some of the anxiety and sorrow I have been feeling has helped me paint a picture of what Danica is feeling after the kill. I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think! **

**Love, Staci**

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After we returned to the Cornucopia, I tried to distance myself from everyone, even Rye. Carson was on the brink of falling to pieces when we came into view. After hearing the canon, he was terrified that it represented my death. However, the color began to return to his face once he saw that I was okay. Still dragging the hog, Jessie and I finally reach the fire pit and drop the hog on the ground with a thud. Jessie immediately begins to clean our kill, but as soon as the hog's hind leg leaves my fingers, I dart straight for the Cornucopia. Carson starts to say something to me that I just ignore. This leaves the others behind in confusion, but I honestly could care less. I drag the target/sleeping bag out into the open field, far from the Cornucopia in the distance. Here I spend the rest of the day shooting arrows, one after the other. I'll shoot all of the arrows until I run out, then retrieve them and start over. My stomach growls, but I ignore it. I just shoot. Then sun moves from the east to the west as the shadows around me shift and change. The others must be worried but I let them. With every arrow I shoot, the pain inside my chest that I can only describe as guilt and sorrow stirs uncontrollably. Once again, I am down to my last arrow. It probably time to eat because I can smell the pig over the fire as the wind carries it's aroma across the plains. The pain in my stomach from hunger is starting to get worse, but I deserve it. I string my last arrow and bring the bow into position. I release it and it lands right on the bulls-eye. I can't help but think of the boy, falling over in pain. I stare at the arrow as it remains lodged in the fabric for a long time. Wondering, what the boy was thinking about when he died. Did he think about his family? A lover back home? His family is probably bubbling with hatred for me right now. And to be perfectly honest, I hate myself. I have become a piece in the Capitols games. And I hate it. I am supposed to bring everyone together and I killed that boy whose name I didn't even know. This shouldn't be happening. It isn't right.

"Nice shot."

Carson's voice pulls me out of my thoughts and I turn to face him. I am struggling on the inside to keep the tears from falling. I can feel it coming and I pray he won't ask me what happened.

"The pig's almost done. You didn't eat anything earlier so must be starving."

I don't answer him. I don't deserve to eat. I deserve the pain and suffering I am feeling right now. But one little gesture of compassion convinces me to join him. He holds out his hand to me and looks me straight in the eye.

"Come on, Dan. You need to eat something. Please."

After I collect my arrows, I cautiously allow my hand to slide into his as we walk together back to the Cornucopia. The aroma of the cooked meat grows stronger as I get closer to the fire and the sun is beginning to set. We gather around and enjoy a descent meal as the sky begins to grow dark. All the while, I don't really speak to anyone. I just work the ribs, striping each one clean to the bone. The guilt inside is growing so strong that I can't focus on anything but gnawing away at the meat until its completely gone. Even after the meat is gone, I still gnaw at it until I realize that I and chewing on bone. The others must have noticed my nervous behavior but they do a good job of not commenting on the matter; and I am thankful. Soon, our stomachs are full and the sky grows dark. Soon night will fall and I will have to hear the dreaded anthem to announce the boy's death. The others are tired and turn in for the night. I too am tired, but my uneasiness is more than enough to keep me awake. Only Carson and I remain around the fire. I know the silence between us won't last long before I will have to tell he what happened. What will he think of me? Will think I'm a murderous monster? Why do I even care? Sure enough, he breaks the silence with the very question I was afraid he would ask.

"What happened today?"

I don't say anything. I don't know what to say or how to even begin to tell him about it. What is there to tell anyway? I kill a boy in the Hunger Games. That's it.

"Danica," he starts, "Please. Tell me what happened."

Something in his voice, the caring yet concerned tone he projects, breaks me and the tears start to flood my eyes. I rest my face in my hands, not wanting him to see my reddened face. I feel the sobs begin to rack my body one after the other as I feel Carson's strong arms wrap around my fragile shaking frame.

"Shhhh…Danica. It's okay. It's okay," he rocks me back and forth like I do to Rye when he cries.

"No," I whimper, "It's not okay. I killed him. I killed that boy. I didn't even know his name, but I killed him."

"You did what you have to do. There was no wrong in it," Carson answers.

I suddenly snap up from his embrace, anger starting to flow throw my veins, "That's just it! We should have to kill each other! It's not fair! So many children have lost their lives thanks to a tyrant whose granddaughter is safe in the Capitol!"

"I know," he looks down and grabs my hand, slightly squeezing it for comfort, "This shouldn't be happening. You know, sometimes I imagine living in America. Being free and happy, never worrying about where my next meal would come from. It must have been nice."

"Yeah," I laugh.

"We're going to be okay Danica. I promise," he pulls me back into his arms where I continue to cry, letting out the built up sadness in my heart that shooting arrows only fueled. I rest my head on his shoulder while his cheek rests against my hair. His arms are strong and warm. I actually feel safe, happy. Probably the happiest I have felt since I entered the arena. Normally this would scare me. But under the current circumstances, I welcome it. Soon the stars make their appearance and the anthem begins to wail through the arena once again. I burry my face into Carson's shirt, feeling sorrow at just the sound of the anthem. But his arms are still wrapped around me and it brings some comfort. Since there was only one death today, the anthem soon returns. The sounds of the night begin to return and I have stopped crying.

"It's getting late. You should get some sleep," Carson whispers.

"No, I want to stay…with you."

"I'll tell you what. You go on inside and I'll join you after I put out the fire, Okay?"

"Okay," I hesitantly remove myself from his comforting arms and enter the Cornucopia. Carson puts out the fire and like he promised, joins me inside. He sits beside me with his back against the wall of the Cornucopia. I snuggle up to him, resting my head in his lap like my mother did with my father when she took a nap. I wonder what they are making of this right now. But I really don't have the energy to think about it. I am exhausted and soon my eyelids are as heavy as rocks. Carson strokes my hair so gently that it sends shivers down my spine, but I contain myself. In the silence I can clearly hear the crickets and frogs singing a sweet lullaby with the occasional _Hoot! _from an owl. It's so peaceful that I forget where I am. With Carson by my side, I close my eyes and slowly drift away.


	14. Hand in Hand

**Feeling somewhat better, but my road to recovery is still rather long. I appricate everyone's surport and ask that you continue to review and tell me if my writing is getting worse lol. But thanks agian and I hope you enjoy. :) **

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When I wake up the next morning, my room is considerably dark for the time of day. Mother must have shut the curtains so I could sleep in. Rye must not have had any bad dreams because when I reach beside me, he isn't there. However I can hear the birds singing outside of my window, singing their morning song. I decide that I have slept long enough and I should get up. Father always bakes fresh bread in the morning and I am determined to get an end piece before Rye eats them both…again. However when I open my eyes, I am not starring at the white ceiling in my bedroom. I am starring at cold metal that is robbing me of the suns warm light.

I am alone. No one, not even Rye is here. The Cornucopia is totally empty and only the crates of supplies remain. Someone, I suspect Carson, has wrapped an extra blanket around me. I must have been shivering during the night when the gamemakers dropped the temperatures below freezing. I look at the empty sleeping bag where Rye was laying and my heart begins to beat violently inside of my chest as I realize that he is missing. Where is he? Where is everyone else? What have they done with Rye? Is Rye still alive? Did they kill him and drag him into the woods to become a meal for hungry animals? Is it possible that I could have slept through the canon? No, I've been so jumpy since the games began that there no way I wouldn't have heard it. So does that mean he's still alive? I jump out of the sleeping bag as my heart begins to race and worry starts to flood my mind once again. Under the Cornucopia, the temperatures are bitterly cold and I can see my breath vaporize as I start to panic. I snatch up my jacket and zip it up as I walk out from under the metal covering into the warmer sunlight. I brings some relief from the cold, but not much.

"Rye!?" I yell. I hear my voice echo back to me as I called again and again for Rye and the others, "Carson! Jessie?"

I receive no reply other than my own voice, almost mocking me. I don't know what to do really. I stand there for a while trying to figure something out. Maybe I should go out and look for them. But that would be a good way to get killed. Should I just sit here wait for them to come back? That's a good way to go crazy. What do I do?

"Rye?" I try again, "Where are you?"

Still no reply.

My stomach is growling horribly so I decide to eat some breakfast and after twenty minute, if they are not back, I going to go look for them. Inside, I open a crate of food that I know contains apples, oranges, and grapes. I take a large, red apple into my hand and carefully close the crate. I sit at the mouth of the Cornucopia, with my back against the metal as I watch the woods. I sink my teeth into the apple, and the sweet juice floods my mouth, making it water. An apple is a luxury in District 12. It's very rare that even the merchants have the opportunity to sink their teeth into one. So I am taking advantage of having one in the arena with me right now. A couple of squirrels come close to the Cornucopia as they chase each other around the field, happy and care free. They jump at each other and bounce. They both lie low to the ground, facing each other ready to pounce when the smaller squirrel jumps at least half a foot in the air, tackling the other onto its back. They roll a little and they take off into the distance. They run until they suddenly stop, stand on their hind legs and sniff the air around them. Suddenly, deeper in the woods, two dozen bird scatter from the trees violently as if their lives are in danger. They squawk and crow as they fly away from their resting spot. They squirrels, obviously frightened, scramble as they take off in the opposite direction.

I am starting to get nervous. Something big is moving through the woods, and fast too. They are scaring away any creature within a mile radius and are coming this way. Could it be Carson and the others? Could it be Lars or mutts? Before I can even stand to retrieve my bow and arrow, I see a medium sized figure emerge from the woods. I can believe my eyes when I see a dinosaur, come charging for the Cornucopia. This is small compared what we were taught at school, but the claws on this thing are wicked. Razor sharp nails that could easily slice through me like a blade of grass. As it grows closer, I can see the vibrant colors on its scaly skin and two arms that hang uselessly in front of it. It has a long tail that swipes back and forth as it runs. It's throaty cry snaps me back to my senses and I scramble to my feet and retrieve my bow and arrows. I rush outside into the sun light and send arrows flying. One hits the monster in the leg and it squeals in pain. However, he keeps running to me. Five more miss and he is feet away from spilling my guts with those claws. Suddenly, jarring pain radiates in my torso as the monster tackles me to the ground. I land on my sheath of arrows and this hurt my back terribly. It stands over me, looking my body over for the best place to start. It sniffs my face and I realize how bad this thing smells. Still pinning me to the ground, more of these dinosaurs start to file in around me.

So this is it? This is how I am going to die? Eaten alive by dinosaurs. Well, I would rather them be eating me than eating Rye. As long as Rye still has a chance at winning, I am prepared to take it like a tribute. I know that with Carson protecting him, he will have a good chance of making it out of here alive. Rye will go home, into the arms of our mother and father. He'll always get the ends pieces of the bread now. He'll be the one to start building a new Panem for himself, our parents and future generations. This world will be a better place for him and I am sure that Cinna will see to it that he returned home safely. I hope that my being a tribute has helped in some small way. I hope that Carson will continue the alliance and save as many as he can. I hope that he will be okay once I am gone. I must admit that after last night, the way I feel about him is different. But in a good way. I don't what to call it, but I only wish that I had the time to figure it out. But soon, my canon will fire and Rye will be an only child.

I take a deep breath as I prepare for the terrible pain ahead for me as I am torn apart piece by piece. All of a sudden, I feel the dinosaur's warm sticky blood splatter my face and it falls over sideways, freeing me from its grip. What just happened? They other dinosaurs turn away from me, now occupied with whatever killed their companion. When I look into the woods, I see a short, brown haired boy with a bow and arrows just like mine. I realize that he must have shot the mutt and he sends five more, one after the other into the hearts of the beasts. They topple over like dominoes and the boy comes closer, knocking each on down with one shot. Soon, they are dead and the boy lowers his bow looking me over. I am still lying on my back, still afraid for my life. He could send one of those into my heart just as easily as the mutts could have eaten me. I start to back away, still on the ground as he approaches me. He gains on me and is soon standing over me. I stare into his eyes, trying to figure out what he is thinking. He reaches is olive skinned hand out to me. I cautiously take it as he helps me to my feet. Still staring me in the eyes, I ask, "Who are you?"

"Landon. Landon Hawthorne."

"Wh…why did you do that?"

"I heard there was an alliance. I want in."

The only thing I can manage to say is, "Okay."

We walk back to the Cornucopia and we sit by the fire pit. I bring him an apple and finish the one I was eating earlier.

"What District are you from?"

"Thirteen. You're from twelve."

"Yeah," I say, "We mine coal. What does your District do?"

"We're the entertainment district. We make movies and television shows for the Capitol. Usually about the rebellions and dark days. Some people start acting the day they are born for certain story plots."

"Acting?" I ask.

"Acting. We pretend to be happy or sad in different situations and have to say certain things to tell a story while they film it."

"So you're just pretending?"

"Pretty much. They say that before the dark days, people used to act in movies all the time. It was a popular thing for people. Most of them were destroyed in the storms and floods. But I saw a movie that dated all the way back to the 1930's. It was called _Gone with the Wind. _My father had found it in an underground facility in my district and brought it home for us to watch secretly."

"Where have I heard the name Hawthorne before?" I try to remember where I had heard this name before. I think my mother might have mentioned it a time or two. But I don't know who she was talking about. It must have been someone bad because her voice was always angry when the name came up.

"I don't know. But I hear the name Everdeen a lot at home. Father refuses to call Katniss by her married name."

"Why?"

"He never says why. But I think they might have known each other during the rebellion."

"What's you father's name?"

"Gale."

"Gale…" I repeat, "I've heard that name too."

"Well, if you make it out of here, you should ask your mother."

We pause for a long time. The silence becoming awkward as I search for something to talk about.

"So where'd you learn to shoot like that?"

"My father taught me. He used to shoot arrows when he was younger. But nothing like your mom."

"Too bad she never taught me how to shoot."

"How could she when the whole world was watching her every move? Weapons are illegal in Panem, remember?"

"The how did your father do it? If he was in the rebellion, the world was watching him too."

"But nothing like the Mockingjay," I am afraid I can't argue with him on that one.

We sit in silence until the other return, Carson carrying Rye on his back as they approach with a hog and two rabbits. I can see confusion and leeriness on his face as Rye slides off of his back and walks slowly to me not wanting to over exert himself. I on the other hand run until we meet. I kneel in the grass and I take Rye into my arms and holding him tightly. I bury my face in those blonde curls and they amazingly still smell like cinnamon. My baby brother is alive and walking. Carson walks up behind us.

"He insisted on going with us. Said he wanted to surprise you when you woke up. I knew he was in no condition to walk so I carried him the whole time."

"Thank you," I say.

"Who's that?" Carson asks.

"That's Landon. He want be in our alliance."

Carson whispers, "Does he know?"

"Not yet."

"I'll tell him then."

I nod as Carson helps the others with the animals. I don't mention my near death experience. It would only upset Rye. So I lead him inside the Cornucopia and he climbs into his sleeping bag. I tuck him in snuggly and lay beside him as he falls back asleep. I lay there for over an hour holding his hand as I watch him sleep. When I look at him, he reminds me so much of our father. The same handsome features cover his face. I am so relaxed that the canon makes me jump nearly 5 feet in the air.

_Boom!_

After a miniature heart-attack, I look over to Rye whose eyes have flung open and he calls for me.

"You're okay, its okay," I say.

"Who was that?" He asks.

"I don't know. You stay here," I get up and jog outside, looking for the bleeding body of one of my allies. However, everyone here is only startled.

"Carson," I say, "Who was that?"

"Either Hana, Heather or Lars. Everyone else is with us," he says.

"Lets hope it was Lars," Jessie says as she rips the skin from the rabbit making a blood curdling ripping sound that makes me cringe.

"I guess we'll find out tonight," Carson says. Meybell sits beside Jessie and Melana frowns as Jessie cuts off the rabbit's legs.

"I think I'm going to go get some more fire wood," she starts to walk around the Cornucopia, out of sight.

"I'll go with you," I say.

"Nah, it's okay. You need to stay with Rye," Melana says.

"Well, you call for help if you need us."

She nods and disappears. I sit beside Carson and Landon who are talking about the last known whereabouts of Lars.

"The last I saw him, he and the twins were teamed up by the river close to edge of the arena. I snuck up on them and overheard them talking about taking back the Cornucopia," Landon says.

"How long ago was that?"

"A day or two."

"They could be anywhere by now," Carson states.

"Do you think they are coming here?" I ask.

Carson opens his mouth to answer when we hear a scream coming from behind the Cornucopia. We are on our feet before we can even think twice. We run around the metal wall and Melana comes into sight, lying on the ground choking on her own blood. She holds her neck that is covered in blood, her red hair spread out in the grass. She makes a gurgling sound as she struggles to breathe. Carson rushes to her side and takes her hand into his as he watches her, helpless to do anything for her. He eyes are wide as she looks up at the sky and soon she stops breathing.

_Boom!_

Carson, starting to tear up, looks down at her.

"No," he whimpers, "Don't go. Don't…Don't go," his tears start to spill over and he pouts as he realizes that she is dead. I stand feet from him, wishing there was something I could do as he reaches down and closes her eyes. We stand by as we realize that Melana is really gone. Really dead. My own tears start to flow and I squat beside Carson, rubbing his back for comfort because I don't know what else to do. He unexpectedly puts his arms around me, releasing his grip from Melana and pulls me close as we cry together. Really, everyone cries. We knew Melana, and we felt tied to her because of our involvement in the games. Jessie and Meybell walk back to the fire and grey clouds begin to cover the sky. I soon feel rain drops on my skin. We know we must leave the area so the body can be collected. So with me by his side, he scoops her up into his strong arms and we carry her lifeless body into the woods. We finally find a spot that is grassy and far enough away from the Cornucopia. We gently lay her in the grass, both soaked to the bone from the rain. Carson holds me against him and whispers goodbye.

I suddenly remember the sign from twelve. The sign that means thanks, admiration, and good-bye to someone you love. I take the three middle fingers on my left hand and press them against my lips before I hold them out to Melana.

After a few minutes, we are both shaking and leave Melana to be picked up by the hovercraft. The birds stop singing and one gives a sort of warning cry behind us. But we don't turn around to watch. We keep walking until we reach the Cornucopia, hand in hand.


	15. Scars

**I must have writing fever today. lol PLZZZ REVIEW! **

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It rains the rest of the day. Perfectly setting the mood for the occasion, this is the gamemakers job. They have no compassion for what we are going through, their only concern is making a good show and punishing the districts. Carson just sits at the mouth of the Cornucopia and watches the rain. I leave him alone because I know that it won't help to relive Melana's death. He wipes away a tear now and then, but never making a sound. For the rest of us, the mood is not much better. Meybell sits beside Rye and I while Landon and Jessie are asleep. I can imagine that Landon is rather exhausted not having a look out at night. Finally Meybell decided to take a nap as well. So I pull Rye into my arms and hold him close. Amazingly, he doesn't fight back; doesn't struggle against me. He welcomes it. I can't get the image of Melana as she chokes on her own blood. It's a haunting image that I suspect will be with me for a while. Perhaps forever. I wonder if I too will wake up screaming in the middle of the night like my mother. I can understand why she has them now. She must have seen terrible things during the rebellion. And she survived _two _games. I regret any ill feeling I had towards her or my being her daughter. She lived through so much and is still kicking. I can only hope that I can be that strong; for her, my father, myself and Rye. I'm wondering what is taking Cinna so long! How much longer is he going to wait?

"Danica," Rye says, rising from our embrace, looking me in the eyes.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"Is Carson going to be okay?" he asks.

"Well," I sigh, "I suppose so, with time. Everyone leaves the arena with scars. Scars that take time to fade and some of those those never do. But Carson is strong, and I'm sure he'll be okay. Just give him some space for a couple of days, K?"

"K," Rye answers and he falls back into my arms, "You should talk to him, though. He really likes you."

My heart melts inside of my chest as Rye says that. Does Carson really like me that much? It seems like he does, but sometimes I wonder in what way. I know that I really like him too, but in what way? Friends or something more?

"I suppose you're right," I say.

Rye snuggles up into the fetal position in his sleeping bag and I throw an extra blanket on him. I then try to work up the courage to go talk to Carson. I don't know what to say; if I shouldn't talk about Melana; if I should.

_Just go over there you big scaredy cat! He's not going to bite. _

I sit across from Carson in the grass under the Cornucopia. He doesn't look at me as I approach. He just stares into the rain. Like the other night, he's lost in his own little world. I notice that he's shaking, still a little damp from earlier. So I get up and retrieve a blanket from the supplies and wrap it around him. Still, he says nothing. Maybe I shouldn't talk to him. Maybe he really just needs to be left alone. I know that at times like these, I'd prefer to be locked away in my room, away from any other contact. When our cat Buttercup was shot by peacekeepers, I was locked in my room for four days straight. No food, no water. I just lay in bed. So, deciding I should leave him alone, I start to walk back to my sleeping bag when I hear a faint, "Thanks."

I turn around and for the first time he is looking at me.

"You're welcome," I say. I walk back over and sit beside him, "Mind if I join you?"

"I don't mind," he says, leaning his head back against the wall. For a while we sit in silence, listening to the rain against the metal. Outside, lightning strikes and the Cornucopia shakes with thunder as it rolls along the arena.

"Are you okay?" I ask stupidly. Of course he's not okay.

"I'm okay, I guess. I just wish I had gone with her. I shouldn't have let her go alone."

"It's not your fault, Carson. We didn't know that there was someone out there, waiting for one of us to stroll by," I say.

"I know, but I still feel like I'm partly responsible."

"Who do you think it was? That killed her?"

"I don't know. Probably Lars. He's had it out for me from the beginning," he says.

"Why?"

"I really don't know, I just know that Melana's dead and she's not coming back."

"I didn't know you two were so close," I say.

"Well we weren't until the reaping. After that, we knew that we had to stick together, form an alliance if we were going to beat the Careers."

"I wonder who the other tribute was that died today," I say.

"Well, we should find out shortly. Won't be much longer until it starts getting dark," he replies.

My stomach growls, sending Carson into a laughing fit again. This time, I laugh with him.

"You hungry?" I ask him.

"A little," he says.

"I'll go get us something to eat," I stand and rush back over to the supplies. I find the crate containing the apples and grapes and pull an apple for us each. I return, Carson still in the same spot as before. I hand him an apple and we enjoy them as the rain continues to fall by the bucket. I can tell by his eyes that he's still thinking about Melana. About her gruesome death. Replaying her dying as he held her hand. So I decide to try to get his mind off of it.

"Let's play a game," I say.

"A game?" he laughs.

"Yeah."

"Like what?"

"Like…" I look around, trying to think of a game that Rye and I would play to pass the time. Hide and seek is a big no. Rock, Paper, Scissors is a little boring. Then I remember this game that Father would play with us when we would go to town or need something to do. He called it _I Spy_. You just say, _I spy with my little eye something…_ and you search the room for an object and state its color. Then the other person has to try and name the object that is being described.

I remember one game in particular when we were in town on reaping day. I had just turned twelve and both Rye and I were worried. So father played that game with us to take our minds off of it.

"I spy with my little eye something…pink."

"Is it…that dress?" I asked eagerly.

"Nope. Keep trying."

"Is it that ribbon in the window?" I ask again.

"Nuh uh," Father smiled, as if he knew the biggest secret in the world. The Rye got an idea, just as Effie steps off of the hovercraft in the distance.

"Is it Effie Trinket's hair?"

I have never heard my father laugh that way he did when Rye said that. I was giggling as well and momentarily, the fear that was building inside of me went away.

"That's exactly right," Father answers, still laughing.

At the time, Effie had already started to deteriorate. The only color she showed was her pink wig. But I have never seen the woman with any makeup on. That was the last time Effie had colorful hair and it turned to grey mob of sorrow on a woman who was supposed to be so upbeat. Maybe this game can help Carson too.

"Let's play _I Spy_," I say.

"I used to play that game with my little brother. You can go first."

"Fine. I spy with my little eye something…green!"

"Is it the grass?"

"No."

"Hmm…Jessie's jacket?"

"Nope. Try again."

"What about that crate over in the corner?"

"Wrong."

"Well then I have no idea."

"You really suck at this game," I giggle.

"Fine, what about…Oh! The fins on your arrows!"

"Finally!" I laugh, "Now it's your turn."

"I spy with my little eye, something brown."

"Is it that leaf in the grass?"

"No," he smirks.

"What about the pile of fire wood?"

"Keep guessing."

"How about my boots?"

"Your getting warmer," he teases. I am really out of ideas. There aren't many brown things in the Cornucopia. So I give up.

"What is it?"

"Your hair," he says as he reaches his hand up, taking the end of my braid into his fingers. I can feel the blood rushing to my cheeks and I know I am blushing. He smiles and pulls me in close to him, his arm wrapped around me and his hand resting on my waist. This one gesture sends a tingly feel throughout my whole body. I don't know what that means…but I think I like it.

"How much longer do you think it's going to be? For this thing to be over?" he asks. I immediately know what he's talking about. He means Cinna.

"I don't know," I say honestly.

"I hope it won't be too much longer."

We sit for a while like this, huddled together and taking in the refreshing rain. I soon fall asleep in his arms and I am shaken awake by the sound of anthem. Carson, not wanting to see Melana's face among the dead, doesn't look at the sky as the names appear. So I move closer to the edge so I can see the projection. It's a little hard to see through the rain, but I can just barely make out the letters and the faces. Melana's face is the first to show up in the sky tonight. Then the sky flashes to another tribute. At first, I can't tell what name is listed so I go over each letter until I can piece it together. H-A-N-A D-I-S-T-R-I-C-T 1-1.

The faces disappear and the Capitol symbol flashed briefly before the only sound left is from the rain and the only light is from our lanterns. I crawl back over to Carson and wiggle back into his arms. He wraps the blanket around the both of us.

"Who was it?" he asks.

"Hana from District 11," I say.

"Oh, wasn't she here with her twin sister?"

"Yeah. I think her name is Heather."

"I feel sorry for her," Carson says.

"Me too," I say staring outside. The light from our lanterns give off enough light to reflect the wet skin of the now deceased mutations that lay feet from the Cornucopia where they attacked. "We need to get rid of the mutts in the morning. It'll just attract more unwanted visitors."

"I agree. First thing in the morning, "but until then, I think we should get some sleep."

"I agree," I say just as a yawn emerges from me, signaling that it's time to go to bed. So Carson and I part. He goes to his sleeping bag and I go to mine and soon the world grows distant from me. I enter oblivion and fade away from the games, temporarily. My heart still aches for Melana, now lost along with the other millions of children that Snow has killed over the years. I hope her family can make it through it. I wish there was something I could do to help them. I wish there was something I could do to help Bailey and Braidly's families. Until then, my main focus is getting everyone out of here safely, especially Rye.


	16. Secret Revealed

**well here it is! i finally finished chapter 16 and there are still more chapters to come! I hope you all enjoy it and aren't too mad at me for taking so long. Please review and let me know how im doing. It really means alot:) This story is far from over.**

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I begin to gain consciousness from my deep slumber after such a dramatic night. I feel beside me like I do every morning to make sure that Rye is still there. However when I don't feel the icy little hand that is so familiar, my heart skips and I panicingly shot up, fully awake. When I sit up and look around. I'm not quite sure what to make of it. I wake up to Jessie ransacking our supplies and putting them in a green backpack. Sitting up, I can see that Rye and Landon are already up and watching. I stand up and rush over to see what was going on. Carson shoots up not long after I do, looking around for the source of the commotion.

"Jess, think about this! With Lars on the loose, you won't survive!" Meybell pleads.

Not paying any attention, Jessie continues to dig, "I'm not going to sit around here like a fish in a barrel waiting to be shot. This whole 'plan' is obviously just a bunch of lies. I'm not going to fall for them."

"If you just wait, I'm sure it won't be much longer..."

"He's not coming! Don't you get it Meybell? It's not going to happen. We're trapped in here! All but one of us is going to die. And there's no way to change that." Jessie slings the backpack over her shoulder and heads out of the mouth of the Cornucopia. I am still not quite sure what is happening right now.

"What the hell is going on?" Carson asks.

Meybell runs up behind us and whispers to us that Jessie is tired of waiting for imaginary stylist to rescue us that is probably dead anyway.

I spin on my heal and run to her, pulling her back by her sholder.

"What?!"

"Jessie, please stay. Cinna is on his way," I whisper.

"Stop whispering! You might as well shout it to President Snow himself because theres no truth to it. No one is coming to break us out of here or kill Snow. Your crazy," and she turns and walks into the sunlight to the trees.

"She's stupid," Carson shakes his head. Rye comes up beside me.

"Danica, she just told the world our plan," Rye says, "What are they going to do to us?"

I can see the fear starting to form in his eyes and I instantly come up with something to ease his fears.

"I'm sure they weren't even watching us. Probably following Lars around," I say.

This seems to pacify him for now. But when I look at Carson, I know that's not true. He knows that our plan is now out in the open. He knows they'll be coming for me. Probably within minutes.

"Hey, why don't you go help Meybell straighten up?" I ask Rye. He nods and heads back into the Cornucopia. When he's out of earshot, I let my own terror show.

"Carson, what do I do? They're going to kill me. Or torture me and turn me into a high jacked freak like my father…"

He places his hands firmly on my shoulders looking me right in the eyes. I can see that he knows I'm right.

"You can't let Rye see that," I whisper trying to hold back my tears, "What do I do?"

"I don't know Dan," he looks around searching for an answer but there isn't one.

There's nothing we can do. Its obvious that I am the instigator considering who my family is and Capitol will be here surely within moments to arrest me and leave the rest of us here to die. I don't want Rye to see me being taken away. He just couldn't handle it. Then it hits me.

"I know," I say not looking up from the grass, "I know what I have to do." I look up at Carson and mutter four painful words, "I have to leave."

Carson's confusion is suddenly taken over by determination. "Oh no your not. You're not going out there Danica. If anyone comes for you they'll have to kill me first. I'm not letting you out of my sight!"

However, I ignore his words and walk straight to my bow and arrows. With bow in hand I walk over to Rye who ask what I am doing. I kneal to his level and try to explain.

"Listen, I have leave for a little while. Carson will take good care of you. He's not going to let anyone hurt you I promise."

"Where are you going?" he asks.

"I just have to go," I kiss his forehead, "Be good."

I stand to walk outside the Cornucopia but Carson jumps in front of me, holding me back.

"You're not leaving! I'm not going to let you."

"I have no choice," I say and walk past him. He grabs my arm and pulls me back towards him.

"Please, Danica, stay," He pauses for a while before speaking again, "There's something I need to tell you. I wasn't sure of how to tell you but I feel like now is the time."

Confused I ask, "What is it?"

"I…I need to tell you that…" he has trouble saying these words and he's wasting Rye's precious time. I shake loose of his grip and continue to walk outside. That's when I hear Carson say something that I have only heard my parents say to each other. "I'm in love with you."

This stops me up short. Everything is perfectly quiet and I know that Meybell, Landon, and Rye know this isn't just a stroll through the woods.

"Danica, I couldn't live with myself if I let you walk away. Please stay here, stay with me," he pleads. Tears are starting to form in my eyes. But why? Why am I crying because a guy likes me? Unless…

Then I realize that I really have to leave now. Because Rye is no longer the only one in this arena I care about.

With tears rolling, I turn to face him. He's crying too.

"Goodbye Carson," I whisper and I walk out into the opening. I walk until I reach the tree line. I scan the area to make sure it was safe to cross with my bow and arrow ready. The tears are still coming and I think they'll be joining me on this journey. I walk into the tree line and out into the woods. I walk for half an hour before resting in a tree top. The tree is the safest place I can be. Away from other tributes and hidden by the foliage. However, the Capitol will still find me with the tracker in my arm. I'm hoping I've saved Rye and Carson some time.

I stay in the tree for about ten minutes before I climb down and continue walking. I start to get thirsty so I search for a stream and happen to find one surrounded by trees. I remember what Bailey said about the water being dirty. Then I remember Rye finding supplies hidden under some leaves. Maybe I can find stuff to clean the water with. I walk around, searching through piles of leaves and mostly finding worms and beetles. I was about to give up when I finally found a hidden stash of supplies. I managed to find water purifying kit and an empty bottle. It made sense to put a purifying kit next to a stream. Only, I had no idea how to use it. Inside were bottle and a dropper. I read the label on the bottle which says Iodine. However, there were no instructions. Unsure of how much of this I was supposed to put in the water, I decided I'd take my chances with three drops. I fill the bottle up to the brim and drop three drops into it. I shake it up and let it sit for a while. While I'm waiting for the water, I notice a little bird in the tree. A black bird with white patches under its wings. A Mockingjay. I don't sing to it. I just watch it. It watches me. We stay like this for a while until a squirrel scampers up and scares the bird away. I am getting kind of hungry and I have my bow and arrow. So I slowly string an arrow and pull back then release the arrow into the squirrels' side. It falls to ground with a slight thump. I'm proud of myself. I can find my own food and… and… then I realized I have nothing to skin it with. I retrieve the squirrel with the arrow piercing it's body and sit on a pill of rocks. Defeated, I spin the squirrel around on the arrow in my hand trying to figure out what to do. I look down at my feet and notice unusually sharp rocks. Rocks. Maybe I could use them as a knife. It's worth a shot. I gather a couple of rocks and rub them together to sharpen them. Perhaps I can at least get some meat. I don't bother to remove the head or tail. I grit my teeth and start picking at the skin. Before long I am able to pull back some of the skin and see the muscle and meat. And blood. And organs. I threw up a little in my mouth but I kept going. Once I got most of the skin cut away, I knew I had to gut it. I won't even describe that. But I eventually get it done, and have to set a fire. I remember my father showing me how to start a fire in the fire place using just some old string and a stick. I gather some dry leaves and find a couple dry sticks. I use the string I found with the other supplies and tie both ends of the string to both ends of one of the sticks. I remember my dad saying it's all about friction. If I can cause enough, I'll get a fire. I hold the other stick upright over the leaves. I place the end between the string and other stick. I'm not sure I'm doing it right, but I have to try.

With the string close to the leaves, I begin to rub the string against the stick back and forth. Back and forth. When nothing happens, I'm sure I have done it wrong. But I keep trying and soon, I see smoke. Then I remember my dad blowing gently on the leaves that were smoking to start the flame. So I blow gently and the smoke increases. It's working! Ha I can't believe it!

I soon have a small flame that I place on the other leaves and the whole thing catches fire. I did it. I made fire! Kind of stupid I know, but I was proud of myself. I put the arrow back through the squirrel and held it over the fire. Before long I had food.

It was a wonderful feeling knowing that I had did it by myself. No help from Carson or my dad. I was about to take a bite out of the squirrel's side when the strangest thing happens. I start to hear a crackling noise in the arena. Like someone was going to make an announcement. However no one said anything. In the background was plenty of talking but I couldn't tell what they were saying. It must have been the control room. Someone must have accidentally turned on the intercom. I begin to right it off when I hear a voice that sends chills down my spine. A voice so cold and heartless, Id recognize it anywhere. I can't believe what I'm hearing.

"I want him out of there! Dead or alive! I don't care! I want him out of that arena," says President Snow. Then the crackling stops and the arena is silent again.

What? What is he talking about? He wants "him" out dead or alive? There's only four him's left in this arena. I know he isn't talking about Lars. He's probably hoping he wins. Everyone else is at the Cornucopia. Why would President Snow want any of them? I'm the one they want. Why would they think Carson is the master mind behind this whole thing? Then things start to fall into place. Carson wiped out the Careers like it nothing. He taught me to use the bow and arrows. He stronger than the rest of us and more experience with weapons. Snow thinks that Carson is helping Cinna. He's going to have him taken prisoner and do who knows what to the rest of them. I have to warn them. Now.

I drop everything except my bow and arrows and take off running back in the direction of the Cornucopia. I don't stop for anything. My heart pounds and sweat runs down my forehead but I can't stop think of Carson. Of Rye. What if they're dead? Perhaps they killed them off and left Heather, Lars and I to duke it out for victor. No, they're not dead. They're not. I know Carson. He wouldn't have just sat by and done nothing. He surely heard it too and took action. Carson wouldn't let anything happen to Rye.

I run for what seems like forever and I feel my body about to give up when I burst through the trees into the open field. In front of me is the Cornucopia. I run to it, wheezing and tired. But when I get there, it's empty. No one is there. Not Meybell, not Landon or Rye. Maybe they already came. Maybe I was too late and they took them all captive. Or worse. I'm starting to panic and can see black spots in my vision as I run in circles trying to figure out what to do.

"Hello?!" I scream. When I receive no response, I start to cry and cry. I fall to my knees and start to cry. Giving up hope. I'm so tired and so sick of this. The games have ruined my life. I might as well just let Lars find me here and slit my own throat for him so he doesn't have to. Everything is falling apart. I can even hear the tune of the lullaby my mother would sing to us when we were small.

_Deep in the Meadow_

_Under the Willow, _

_A bed of Grass _

_A soft green pillow_

I sit there and listen as my ears are filled with the song still crying. I begin to sing along with it.

_Lay down your head_

_And close your eyes, _

_And when they open,_

_They sun will rise_

I notice that some of the notes are a little off. It sounds almost as if the birds around me are singing as well. I remember the Mockingjay the day Rye was hurt. The tune wasn't perfect but it tried to mimic my voice. Copying my tune to the best of it's ability. Maybe those are Mockingjays I am hearing. Singing my song. But they would have had to have heard it from somewhere to copy it. Then I realize, they're mimicking Rye. Rye is out in the woods somewhere singing this song and the Mockingjays are repeating it.

Rye is alive. He's out there somewhere. I jump up and take off in the direction of the tune. It grew louder with every step I took. Once I reach the tree line, I stop and listen. _Keep singing Rye. Keep Singing. _When I locate the direction, I take off again. I can't waste a moment of time. Rye may only have a few left. I stop several times to make sure I'm on track. I come across the stream Bailey and were at when the games began. I must be rather close to the launch pads. I keep following the tune and before long I can even hear Rye's voice singing the lyrics. It gets louder and I when I break through a patch of tall weeds and thorns, I find my baby brother curled up with Carson on a launch pad. Carson is sweating and tears are running down his face. I notice his arm is bloody and bandaged up. I run to them and when Rye sees me, he's in my arms in a flash telling me he loves me and asking me not to leave him again. Carson gets to his feet and wraps his good arm around me.

"Carson what's wrong with your arm?" I ask.

"I had to cut out our trackers. They would be able to find us too easily. We hid behind the thicket so no cameras would capture us."

I examine Rye's arm which is a little bloody, but I'm glad that Rye is okay.

"What do we do?" I ask.

"I don't know Dan. They'll be here soon," Carson says.

"Maybe we can fight them off," I say.

"I don't know…"

"It's worth a shot. If we can hold them off long enough Cinna might be able to rescue us."

"You don't even know that he's still alive."

"We have to try."

"I agree," says Rye.

"We'll need more than three people," I say.

"Meybell and Landon aren't far from here."

"Then let's go get them."

With Rye's hand in mine, we set off to get the others. We find them only a couple of miles west of here. When they see us, they're rather relieved. Meybell runs to hug me and I don't resist hugging back.

"We have to fight them off. We need to go back to the Cornucopia and get all the weapons we can and prepare for the peacekeepers."

"Danica, are you sure about this?" Meybell asks.

"We can't just let them take Carson. They should be given a taste of their own medicine."

"I'm in," Landon says from behind.

"Maybe we can find Jessie. She can help," Meybell says.

"We don't have time, we have to go now." I say.

We reach the Cornucopia within thirty minutes. I never let go of Ryes hand and he tries to keep up with me as everyone runs to the safety of the Cornucopia. We think we have gotten away when everyone stops dead in their tracks at the sight of the white haired man facing the back of the Cornucopia. He is surrounded by Peacekeepers to protect him. When he turns around, I look into the snake like eyes of President Snow. In person. Not on television. I can't believe my eyes. I push Rye behind me and Carson stands by my side. He starts to turn and I suddenly draw my bow, arrow aimed right for Snow's heart.


End file.
